His Past, Her Present, Their Future
by EmpyrealFantasy
Summary: [SessKag] Time and magic are fickle, ever changing, and impossible to predict. A new journey brings about a whole new set of problems for Kagome…between love, family, and duty, where will she end up? «A story of a love that defies time itself» Complete.
1. Beginning

Disclaimer: What is it with everyone saying they want to own? I don't, I'm glad Takahashi-san owns and can write the story for me. God knows if left to me, it would be crap. XD Now, if I could make Sessy or Inu real…

Pairing: Sesshoumaru/Kagome, references to several others.

Warnings: Language, ORIGINAL PLOT (omg, what a miracle!), citrus (way later), improbable situations, plot twists, OOCness…there's more. I dunno.

UPDATE: All chapters revamped as of May 5th 2007. Please review about all spelling errors so these can be better. I appreciate it!

**7/25/10 - Re-adding my scene breaks since the last update removed them. Removing nearly all fangirl Japanese (probably leaving youkai and hanyou, as 'demon' holds entirely different connotations from youkai). Seriously fixing POV issues. Rewriting as much as I can stomach, though this is still only a beginner's first fanfiction that's been toyed with in the intervening years.  
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**I promise this isn't _too_ bad after the first couple of chapters. ;P Just cheesy. The plot is actually something I am rather fond of.  
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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 1 - Beginning_

* * *

She lay silent on her pallet, letting the sounds of the world pass her by without notice. Her muscles screamed to be used after several weeks of inactivity, but her mind would not comply. Her eyes stayed closed despite her consciousness. Blackness consumed her, stole her breath and drowned her thoughts, leaving nothing but a blank shell floating in the nothingness. She refused all thoughts that would even dare to cross into her mind... she could not think, _could not_; something deep within her feared her own end if she allowed herself to waken once more.

But that same place deep within her wept in a way she would never be able to, grieving where she could not.

And it had to be enough.

* * *

"Why isn't she waking up?" he asked in a small voice, the question weighing heavily in the silence.

"I don't know, Shippou," the only other person in the room replied, violet-blue eyes looking down with sorrow at the young fox youkai. "She has to overcome herself before she can awaken. Sometimes..." he sighed, petting Shippou's head to soothe his tears. "Sometimes we're our own worst enemy. The demons within us can be so much more terrifying than any we slay in reality."

"She will wake up though, won't she?" Shippou's breathing hitched, small hands clenching.

"I can't say for sure."

Tears tracked silently down Shippou's face as she watched the deathly-still form of the woman he had secretly come to view as something like a parent. It had been almost four weeks since she had been found comatose on the ground of the woods, but she still had yet to even move. Her heart beat strong and her breathing was even, but even Kaede could do little but slip strained foods into her mouth and massage her throat to make her swallow. It was all that kept her alive. The worst part, though, was the aura of despair that clung to her like a shroud, cloyingly thick and nearly moving the young fox to tears just to be near her. But he couldn't stay away. She had never let him down, and he'd never turn his back on her.

He bounded from the hut and ran to Goshinboku, the God tree, the one place that had given him solace since the day Kagome had been found. It was hard to believe that the woman who had protected him for the last four years could possibly never wake up again. Shippou had hope, _so much hope_, but it was getting harder to keep it strong when nothing changed at all. They still didn't even have any idea how she had ended up that way in the first place… at least, they didn't have any _proof_. There were suspicions, frightening and gut-clenching ones, but nothing he wanted to believe. Shippou leaned his small head against the bark of the tree, willing her to come back. They hadn't been able to find InuYasha either, not since that night. For a few days they just thought he had once again run off, as he had been prone to doing since Naraku's defeat. But after the first week, they had all silently decided that something was terribly, horribly wrong to have kept the hanyou away for so long.

After all that had happened, he had promised to never stay away again, after all. And for all his flaws, InuYasha never broke his word.

* * *

_It had been silent in the little grove of trees for too long. The silence had come and they had cheered, Jaken included, but it had been too long since then. Shippou ached to know why everything at the battlefield was so quiet and yet no one had come to retrieve them. The battle had raged for several hours, and he, Rin, and Jaken had been forced to sit far within the forest under a carefully laid holy barrier. Jaken berated them constantly, his own worry betrayed by the way his slightly-webbed fingers clenched his staff, snapping at Rin and threatening them.  
_

_"Stop sniveling you, foolish human! Lord Sesshoumaru would never be defeated by a half-breed scum like Naraku!" he shrilled. It had been like this for over an hour now. With an exchanged glance as the toad youkai turned away, Shippou and Rin clasped hands and began to run, the barrier not effecting the ones it was left to protect._

_"Idiots! Come back here, you stupid children!" Jaken fumbled, falling flat on his face as his two young charges ran on ahead. "Why, Lord Sesshoumaru, would you leave me to be a mere babysitter?"_

_When they reached the edge of the forest, it was easy to see why all was silent. And with a sick sinking in his stomach, Shippou badly wished he hadn't brought Rin along. He'd been in battle and experienced death, but she was an innocent. The battleground was littered with bodies: youkai and human, male and female, friend and foe. There was no movement that he could see. He gripped Rin's hand tighter and made to tug her back through the trees to the comforting blindness. He didn't want to know. He was afraid, and he didn't want to know the truth anymore. He especially didn't want Rin to-  
_

_"LORD SESSHOUMARU!" Rin screamed, ripping her hand from his and dashing away before he could stop her. Her bare feet skittered across the mud and through things that made Shippou sick to think about as she raced to the starkly obvious white amongst the blackened blood and gore of the battlefield. Shippou nearly followed her until he spotted Kagome. She was shaking as she pulled herself to her hands and knees, the bright white of the Shikon Jewel glistening between her clenched fingers.  
_

_"Kagome!" He nearly sobbed as he ran at her, mindless of what he stepped in. She laughed weakly, brokenly, curling the little fox to her chest as she surveyed the field of broken bodies and youkai bits. It was a slaughter, and Shippou could do little more than cling to her as her posture stiffened and her arms tightened painfully around him.  
_

_He could tell the moment she found them, only moments after he had. Her body froze and the tightened arms around him became choking, unforgiving bars, not that it really registered. Shippou, too, could do little but stare at the three familiar bodies, breath stalling in his throat. Even as Kagome shot off the ground, arms still locked around him, he couldn't understand. Why were they so still? This was InuYasha, Miroku, and Sango. They were too strong to be so still. Distantly he became of Rin's wailing in the distance, but it was soon forgotten as he was dropped to the ground. He watched in horror as Kagome's fingers ran across Inyasha's haori, hesitant and disbeleiving, before she began to pound at his chest with choked sounds of denial. And then she _screamed_ and Shippou could no longer hold onto his shock, head shaking in denial as she keened in a high, broken tone._

_Shippou shook where he stood, tears falling from blank eyes as he stared. InuYasha's eyes remained open, his throat a mess of three jagged punctures lined in blackened flesh. The smell spoke of poison, so much and so concentrated that Shippou's eyes watered and he knew, knew with fear and pain, that InuYasha could only have lived for moments after that, hanyou or no. Less than a foot away were Sango and Miroku, a tableau of serenity. Sango was curled atop Miroku's chest, her fingers limp on his cheek, his arm curled around her. Breaking the picture was the sword that skewered them both and the shock of purple staining the skin of Miroku's once-cursed hand, but Shippou could only close his eyes and pretend they were sleeping... that everything would be okay. Because he couldn't bear to think otherwise.  
_

_

* * *

_

Shippou heard a call for dinner from afar, and he slowly dragged himself away from Goshinboku to make his way back to Edo. All he could do was hope that Kagome would awaken soon, because he had suffered enough pain and loss in the last several years. He had watched his father die, he had seen his closest people injured and torn apart. He couldn't stand any more.

* * *

A/N: This looks cliché. I know. And it will be until chapter 15. But I promise, at least at the time this was written, that this a totally original plotline.

Hope you read it through. ;)


	2. Acceptance

Disclaimer: Still searching for the spell to make Sessy or Inu real…care to help? Nope, no own.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 2 - Acceptance_

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_Kagome stared at the bodies in front of her, laid in a row. She choked back a sob. InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, and Sesshoumaru: now nothing more than shells. Rin stayed inconsolable across the body of her Lord and wouldn't let Jaken near him, giving an ear-piercing scream if he dared to approach. The only time she had let anyone close was for Kagome to desperately try and wield Tenseiga. It hadn't responded at all, and she cursed the sword with every bit of her.  
_

_She held the completed Shikon Jewel in her hand, gagging on her sorrow in the waning light. There was only one thing left to try. 'She knew it was a selfish wish, and with it the jewel would become tainted. It would not disappear, but Kagome couldn't bring herself to care. ot with her entire life laid out in front of her, not with the two crying children sobbing before her. She grasped the jewel in her hands, the tears still falling uncontrollably down her face as she concentrated. "Lady Midoriko," she whispered. "Please, hear my call. Please. Just let my voice be heard. My friends did not deserve to die. They did not deserve this pain. Please, please hear me."_

_The white filled her vision, blinding and forcing her eyes closed. She cracked them back open slowly to observe the room she found herself in, a room so bright she could hardly see. The vision before her seemed the source of the light, a vision of blinding ethereal beauty. She walked to Kagome with a fluid grace that was like floating and placed a hand on her shoulder. "My child, why do you call me from battle?"_

_Kagome's voice hitched in her throat. "L-Lady Midoriko, please. I know I am meant to make a selfless wish. I know I am meant to p-purify the Shikon Jewel. I know all of this, but I can't just let my friends be dead. Please, there has to be a way."_

_The miko frowned and pursed her lips. "Kagome, my child, you know things are not so simple. If I were to allow this wish, you yourself would be changed forever, and there would no longer be a being in the world strong enough to overcome to tainting pull of the jewel."_

_"But how can they just die? They gave their lives for this stupid jewel, there has to be a way for that to be given back to them!"_

_The older miko's gaze softened and she took Kagome by the hand. The blinding light around her dimmed slightly. "I must not tarry long here, lest the battle sway too far in my absence. But you have a choice to make, my child." Midoriko lowered herself, pulling Kagome to sit beside her on the stone edge of a pond. "There is a way, but you will need to sacrifice much."_

_"Anything!" Kagome almost screamed, her grip on the older miko's hand tightening. "I would do _anything _for them."_

_"Then listen to me well. For me to give them back, the wish must be for Naraku to have never interfered, which would mean that the jewel would be shattered once more, and that you would have to collect the shards again."_

_Kagome's gaze lowered. "Then… they would forget all about me - all that we've been through - wouldn't they?"_

_"No. I would not turn back time, simply take away the interference of the hanyou who was once Onigumo, and only since the shattering of the jewel. This means your former incarnation still sealed the hanyou, the monk's hand is still cursed by the Wind Tunnel, and the Demon Slayer still lost her family tragically. I cannot rewrite all of time, only... facets of reality."_

_Kagome worried her lower lip pensively. "So, it will just be like Naraku hadn't collected all the shards back, and like he never…" her voice cut off as she raised her eyes back to the priestess in front of her. "What else?"_

_"This is the most difficult part, my child. Until you have collected the Shikon Shards, you will be held in this time. You may have one passage to tell your family there goodbye. But then, however long it takes," Midoriko was stroking the back of her hand, soft and gentling, "once you have collected the shards together you may no longer stay in the Feudal Era."_

_"I… what?" Kagome's voice caught in her throat as she stared in shock at the woman, her hands flying to cover her mouth. She had to lose her family long enough to collect the shards…and then she had to lose her second family forever in order to get back to the first. Tears stung the back of her eyes like fire._

_"It is the only way. Someday, if the need arises, the well may reopen. But this is only in dire circumstance. I am sorry, my child, that it must be this way, but there must be sacrifice if this battle is to be won. When you complete the jewel, you will be taken out of this era, and by that sacrifice it will purify forever."_

_Kagome's lower lip quivered as she nodded, agreeing to the conditions. She would rather her friends live on without her than for them not to live at all, but that didn't stop a sob from tearing through her. _

_Midoriko rose up, turning away from the weeping girl. "Fear not, Kagome, sometimes fate is not as cruel as it seems."_

_

* * *

_

In that tiny, sheltered part of her mind that was still aware, Kagome mulled over her meeting with the legendary miko. But it remained locked away. Her grief was still too fresh, her heart too decimated, her soul too weak and darkened for her to awaken. To be awake was to think, to think was to remember, and to remember would surely kill her. In those deep recesses of her being, something screamed. It howled and shrieked, its never ending lament of heartbreak resounding through her. Misery rolled off her body in waves, her aura tugging on the souls of everyone in the small hut.

None of her companions knew how they had been brought back to life, just that it was by the providence of the jewel. None of them knew of the sacrifices Kagome had and would make for them. Late in the night, as the group slept soundly, a whisper in the wind was all that signified another presence. He stood in the doorway to watch the young miko sleep.

He said nothing, but he breathed in the misery and pain that surrounded her. He drank it in and shared her burden for just a moment, only too aware of her losses. And without a word, he was gone.

* * *

Through the blackness, a pinprick of light shone bright, enveloping her. She clenched shut her eyes.

"Kagome? You have to wake up now."

"Inu- InuYasha?" she gasped out, her throat constricted.

"Yes, wench. Now get up."

Her eyes fluttered open, hesitantly and painfully, to see him standing before her in front of Goshinboku. Pain seized her. "But… how are you here? How am I here? Was I just dreaming?" She clambered to her feet and ran to stand before him, panic and something like hope etched into her features.

He shook his head and tucked a small lock of hair behind her ear. "No, it wasn't a damn dream; this is." His gruff tone was, as always, belied by the gentleness of his eyes and actions. "It's the only way I could see you. Kagome, you can't stay this way forever, you have to get up and fight. There's too much shit left for you to do."

"This is a… dream?" Tears filled her eyes but she fought to hold them back, staring into InuYasha's golden eyes.

The sadness radiated off of her, and his eyes softened minutely as he spoke. "Hey, wench, knock that off," he said softly, gathering her into his arms. "You can't mourn me. I made my choice."

"But… why?" she asked as she pulled back, gold meeting blue. "We needed you here, InuYasha; _I_ needed you here. Why would you take my best friend away from me again?"

He looked away uncomfortably. "Keh! You act like you lost me or something. I'm always here Kagome, but you can't spend another month lying in bed. I had to do what I had to do. I thought we talked about this a year ago? You knew the choice I'd made, and ya knew I had to go with her. I never could've been happy if I had shirked my duty."

"But… but… I didn't expect it to be so soon!"

He sighed and drew her close, but not before the saw the dark, embarrassed red that flushed his cheeks. "I- damnit, I love you, wench. You were the best thing that ever happened to me, and I dunno what I woulda done without you. What's life without someone to smile for ya? Maybe in another life things can work out differently, hm?"

She nodded, knowing it was just pretty words but snuggling closer to his chest nonetheless. "Maybe next time you won't be so dense until after it's too late."

"Yeah? And maybe next time you won't whine so much."

"Oh yeah? I could sit you, you know."

"Feh! C'mon, bitch, isn't being dead enough for you?" he said snidely, but the smirk twitching his lips ruined the effect.

She dropped her fake indignation, laying her head back on his shoulder. "I wish you were here, InuYasha. There's so much I need help with."

"Keh, you'll be fine on your own, woman. You have people all around you to help."

"But none of them are you."

His face darkened as he pushed her out to arm's length. "Hmph. What happened to that whole 'love you as a friend' crap?"

She snorted. "Don't worry, InuYasha. I love you as my friend, my _best_ friend, but I've grown up since I was fifteen. And I can see when I need to grow up and move on."

He smiled slightly and met her gaze again. "So, you gonna wake up or what? There's a little runt who's going crazy without you."

"Shippou? How long have I been asleep?"

"I've been gone an entire moon cycle, and you haven't moved. There've been times you were conscious, but you've never really woken up You have to let this shit go."

"I know…" she looked up into his eyes with a smile, despite the stray tears that meandered down her cheeks. "InuYasha?"

His sigh was heavy, though amused, as he met her shy glance. "What do you want, wench?"

"Can I…?"

InuYasha rolled his eyes heavily and walked up to her, dipping his head. "Go on."

She giggled and reached up, running her fingers across the downy fur of his ears with a grin. '_Just like the first day I met him. Fuzzy ears and Goshinboku…'_

As he backed away she sighed, knowing it was time to part. "Will I ever see you again?"

"When you need me, I'll be here. I'll always be here."

"Thank you, InuYasha," she said, scrubbing at her wet cheeks.

"Goodbye, Kagome. Smile for me, would ya?"

* * *

When she awoke, the darkness was a shock. She moaned silently, her muscles and bones aching from weeks of disuse. And good gods did she need a bath, she could smell _herself!_ Her nose wrinkled. She moved slowly to sit up, careful to not call the attention of the group that dozed peacefully on the futons around her. If InuYasha had been there she would have already been caught, but the group that remained was not nearly as sensitive of sleepers. But if InuYasha were there... she choked off the tears that threatened at the thouht. She would mourn, yes, but she would not be a slave to her depression. InuYasha wouldn't have wanted that for her.

After long minutes of flexing her aching muscles, she was finally able to support her own weight and quietly stumble to the door. The air was crisp, and the darkness was nearly overwhelming in the moonless night. She smiled at the sky, imagining InuYasha's relief to no longer have his human night of weakness.

She stumbled, less coordinated than ever, as she tried to fight through her foggy mind to get to the hot springs just outside of the village. As the darkness began to smother her, she remotely wondered why she hadn't thought to bring her bow and arrows along, or even her bath supplies_. _ It had been simple at the time: make no noise. Do not get surrounded by well-meaning friends and smothered. Not yet. She wasn't ready yet... and it came down to that.

As the hot spring came into view she sighed happily and began pulling at her clothes. That was another thing she'd forgotten. With a sigh she yanked her blouse over her head and dropped it next to the steaming water, "Well, guess I'll just take my clothes in with me and wait for them to dry," she mused aloud to the silent forest. "I think my skin and muscles won't mind staying in for a while longer."

She finished undressing and slowly dipped into the spring, relishing in the cold night air against her skin. The water nipped at her senses, her bones quickly turning to butter in the perfectly heated water. Her sigh was low and wistful as she pulled her blouse and jeans into the water, trying to scrub away the month's worth of sediment and sweat in it. After she was satisfied with the results, she stepped from the water, shivering, to hang her clothes over a low branch nearby before running back to envelop herself in the heat once more.

Tears fell slowly as her mind drifted to InuYasha, but the tears were not anguished ones, simply those of the pain of the loss of a friend, and the knowledge she would never again be able to ride on his back through the beautiful forests of the Feudal Era or listen to him argue with Shippou over the last morsels of food. She smiled as she thought of those times, of those memories. But, because of her dreamtime meeting, she knew things would be alright. He hadn't abandoned her, he just did what he needed to. And for him, she would force herself to go on.

Dawn was breaking as she finally pulled herself from the water, grimacing at her wrinkled fingers as she pulled on her mostly dry clothes. The day would be a warm one. As she ambled her way back to Kaede's village, a sense of calm was over her. Maybe Midoriko was right, maybe fate didn't have to be such a terrible thing.

* * *

"Miroku! Sango! Wake up!" Shippou yelped, hopping up and down on top of a very annoyed monk. Miroku groaned and flung an arm at the fox, knocking him away from where the couple's bedrolls were, only to have a bushy tail shoved in his face. "I said wake up! Kagome is gone!"

He sat bolt upright at that, and Sango did the same. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she's _gone_, she's not there anymore, she's vanished!"

They clamored about the hut, searching for any sign of where their friend could have gone, only to find nothing. Her backpack laid next to her cot, her bow and arrows were still propped near the head of Sango's bedroll with her Hiraikotsu. "Shippou, can you smell her? She wouldn't have gone far without her things," Sango asked, trying to calm him enough for an answer.

"Unless someone took her!" he wailed, his eyes streaming.

"Aye, child, but let's not be thinking of that. Can ye not smell where she's gone?" Kaede asked, stepping from the adjoining room of the hut.

The fox stopped near the bamboo door, sniffing gently before bounding outside. With a small glance between them, Sango and Miroku followed him into the dawn light. As they exited, they could hear Shippou's rejoicing howl of, "KAGOME!"

She was exiting the woods, her hair damp and with a small smile on her face as the fox leapt into her arms. "Kagome, Kagome, Kagome! I was so scared because you were gone and I didn't know where you had gone and I thought someone had taken you and-"

"That's enough, Shippou, give her a chance to breathe," Sango laughed, lifting him from their friend's arms. Her face was gaunt from lack of food; they had forced her to eat daily since she had been in bed, but it wasn't enough to prevent the weight loss. The smile she tossed her friends wasn't quite enough to reach her eyes, and Miroku held back a frown as Sango bit her lip sadly.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Kagome asked her, linking their arms together as they moved back towards Miroku.

"Nothing, I was just wondering the same about you…" Sango said before catching herself. "I mean, you don't have to talk if you don't want to, but…"

"It's all right, Sango. I'm not going to break if I'm asked questions. You all deserve the answers, too." Tears made her eyes bright, and Miroku waved at a bench in front of Kaede's hut for her to sit. "Do you want to know what happened that day?"

"We don't need details, Lady Kagome, but I think closure would do us all good," Miroku said softly.

She wrung her hands, and Miroku resisted the urge to hold them between his own. Sango wouldn't take well to that, and it was probably inappropriate in the situation. "I came back from being in my time, I was already devastated enough…" she trailed off, remembering that InuYasha was the only one who knew about her inability to go back to her home for who-knew-how-long. He hadn't known about her inevitable departure, though. No one did. "But, anyway, I sensed a lot of energy, and I was worried. I snaked through the forest and came across-" her voice broke and she had to take a deep breath to continue, swiping at her tears. "InuYasha and Kikyo. She told him that that night was the night she wanted to take him with her to hell. He agreed, and as the earth opened up to swallow them, he turned to me. He just told me goodbye, and I screamed. Oh god, I screamed. But I couldn't move…" a sob overtook her and she buried her face in her hands. She left out the words exchanged between them, or a few other details she didn't want to think about.

"Oh Kagome," Sango said mournfully, her eyes overflowing.

Miroku put his arms around his fiancée and grimaced. "We all mourn with you. He was a friend to all of us."

Shippou climbed into Kagome's lap as she cried, joining her and pressing his wet face to her blouse. She clung to him.

And it was a day set in mourning for them all, but life's inevitability made the following day shine brighter. Because life always moved on.


	3. Agreement

Disclaimer: No own. Would like to have Sessy real…and after this weekend, I would love for Lord Anubis of Rinseternalsoul's creation to be real as well. *sighs and swoons* Also, I used "House of the Moon" as the palace title, with full deference to Resmiranda.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 3 - Agreement_

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A week later, things were returning to a state of relative normalcy. It was then that Kagome finally turned to Miroku in Kaede's herb garden with a serious look in her still-dulled eyes. "We need to start out to collect the jewel shards again, you know."

"Yes, I know," he responded, ripping up a weed and not quite able to meet her eyes. "But without my Kazaana, I'm not very sure how much help I would be… and..." he paused to glance up, "Sango and I are having our wedding in a week. We were putting it off until you were awake."

Her smile reached her eyes this time, though he quickly looked away. "Oh I'm so happy for you both!" she said the glee, wrapping her arms around his neck. Slowly, as she went back to the weeding, it hit her. This wasn't a cheerful proclamation to inform her. It was an explanation for why they would not be hunting with her for the Shikon Shards. With wide eyes she turned to look at him. "So… I'm alone in this?"

He cringed, the pain evident in his eyes. "You're never alone, Kagome. If you need our help, we'll be there. But…" Sango, having heard the conversation, walked out then and Miroku stood to join her.

"Kagome, you know if you need us we will be there in a moment…" her voice trailed off as Miroku's hands went around her waist to cup her flat stomach, and Kagome's eyes went wide.

"Oh, oh goodness, congratulations you guys!" She hugged them both tightly, swallowing the lump forming in her throat and nodding. "Yes. I understand. I would never ask you to risk this happiness. I'm really, really glad for you both. For now, though, I think- I think I need to be alone." She stood up and jogged away, not knowing where she was going, and leaving two worried friends in her wake.

When her eyes fell on Goshinboku a sob ripped from her throat, from her soul, and she laid across its huge roots, sobbing. Her world was falling apart. She couldn't go home without collecting the shards, and she couldn't collect the shards without help. What would she do now? She wasn't strong and independent like Kikyo. She had become strong in her years against Naraku, but there was no way she could do it on her own. Maybe she'd depended on her friends too much. Maybe she should have trained harder. But hindsight was twenty-twenty, as she'd heard it said, and now she was left reaping the consequences. She couldn't actually be angry with her friends, and she couldn't ask their assistance with Sango being pregnant. She was so happy for them, but she still felt so hopeless. So alone.

"Miko, stop crying," a voice resounded coolly.

Tears still falling she turned, locking gazes with the amber eyes of Sesshoumaru. "Oh, shut it," she mumbled, turning her gaze away. She didn't need this right now.

"Shut what?"

She sighed and turned back to him. "Nevermind. What do you want Lord Sesshoumaru?"

He raised one eyebrow. "I seek the idiot half-breed. Where is he?"

Her voice caught again and her chin trembled. "Well, just go back where you came from, because he's…" She couldn't hold back her sob, her vision blurring as hopelessness reigned down on her.

"Foolish girl. You weep for that mongrel? Did he run off with his clay pot?"

She rounded on him, on her feet in moments. Fury danced in her eyes as she stomped to face him, craning her neck to look up at him as she poked him fiercely in his armored chest. "_I'm_ foolish? You idiot! He's _dead_! Are you happy now?"

His eyes flashed, but not with the fury she would have expected. Instead it seemed almost... knowing. "Hn. So, the idiot went off and died before I could kill him? I am done here."

Something in her mind tugged her, screamed that she couldn't let him leave. She gave herself over to that part of her. "Wait, Sesshoumaru!" she called as he gathered his youki cloud at his feet.

He turned, his icy gaze connecting with her. "What do you want from this Sesshoumaru?"

She froze in place and wondered why she'd stopped him, panicking a bit as his blank stare turned annoyed. She fumbled for words. "Uhh… please, stay with me for a few minutes, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

His glare softened minutely, back to blankness. "If this is about your insistence that I am your "friend", why are you being so formal?"

She smiled sadly. "Well, we haven't spoken in a few months, I thought it was better to be. Besides, you're the one who went back to calling me 'miko' and 'girl'."

"Hn."

Kagome rolled her eyes and sat on one of the roots of Goshinboku, motioning for the youkai lord to join her. He did so with his usual effortless grace and looked towards her from the corner of his eye. "What do you need from this Sesshoumaru?"

"How about your company? I don't feel like talking to the others. Every time they look at me I see their pity, and I'm reminded of everything that has changed."

"Hn," he said again, pushing a few claws through his hair. "Why am I any better?"

"You would never pity me," she said bluntly. "And your arrogance always makes me forget everything else."

His chest vibrated in a soundless chuckle. "And for this I am to be grateful, I assume?"

"No, but I am."

She couldn't see the tiny smile that formed on his lips, but she knew it was there. Two months stuck in the lord's palace and many subsequent late night talks had gotten her used to his mannerisms. He was still the same ruthless killer, and his icy demeanor never wavered, but she had found another layer to him. He was extraordinarily intelligent and spent more than one night talking to him until dawn. He wasn't as quiet as he made out to be, he just didn't speak if he didn't have anything to say. This was was rather often, really but not absolute. He was totally content to sit in companionable silence for hours, lost in his own thoughts. But silence wasn't something he came by often anymore, with a preteen Rin running rampant through his compound.

That brought a though to her. "Hey, where's Rin?"

"Still safely within the House of the Moon. Spring planting."

"Aww, I miss her. She's growing so quickly."

"Hn," he replied, silently agreeing. His young ward was approaching womanhood too quickly for his tastes, and it established a deep sense of her mortality in him that left him unsettled. He sighed inwardly and tilted his head up to look through the ancient boughs of the God Tree.

Kagome looked to him and was once again struck by his ethereal beauty. His upturned eyes were closed, the suns rays dancing across his flawless, pale skin. The more time she spent with Sesshoumaru the less guilty she felt for appreciating his shocking beauty. Breathtaking, really. She had grown rather fond of him in her time with him, for reasons that lay beneath his usual persona, but she had kept a tight reign on anything beyond that of friendly fondness for him. His head turned back down as her far-off eyes were locked on him, and his cool golden eyes met hers for a moment before she turned away, cursing herself for getting caught staring.

"If you wish to, you can return with me. She would be glad to see you, and your room is still your own."

Kagome worried her lower lip, a surge of warmth flooding her to know he would still have her room ready for her. But reality was harsh. "I would love to, but I can't," she said sadly, letting her head fall back against the tree's trunk

"Can't or won't?"

She sighed heavily, tilting her head to meet his gaze. "Seriously, can't. I have a duty to fulfill, and I have to figure out how to do it."

"That being?"

"To re-gather the shards of the Shikon Jewel."

"I still do not understand why it shattered again. It should have been almost whole after the battle. I know there is more to this than what you have said, Kagome."

She squirmed and looked away from him. "I don't want to talk about it, Sesshoumaru."

The clawed fingers of his single arm snaked over and grasped her chin, pulling her gaze back to his. "You will tell me, miko. I do not appreciate deceit."

"It's not deceit, Sesshou. It's just… not important. I don't want to talk about it; it's none of your concern." She turned her head to break his grip before standing with every intention of walking away.

Her belief she was going to get away from him was halted abruptly by a firm but not painful grip on her throat and a tree trunk to her back. She wasn't even aware of either of them having moved. "Listen to me, human, you will not tell this Sesshoumaru what does and does not concern him. This Sesshoumaru will decide for himself. And cease calling me bu that foolish butchering of my name."

"You listen here _Lord _Sesshoumaru, we've gone over this. You know this friendship thing we have? That means you cannot order me to do anything! Cannot! And if you don't feel the need to put up with this '_filthy human'_ then why in the hell are you here? Just leave me alone," she cried, tugging fruitlessly against his iron grip.

He sighed inaudibly and loosened his grip, but did not release her, "Kagome, we've been through this. I know where you are from things are different, but this is not that place. I demand, others obey. It is the way. You can choose not to tell your friends if you wish, I cannot stop you, but you will not be leaving me in the dark on this matter. We could avoid a lot of these petty arguments if you would just give in once in a while."

She softened, but her anger remained. "And you could do the same."

"And I do."

She scoffed. "Right. Name one time."

"For instance, right now. You are not dead, that is a large compromise on my part."

She rolled her dark blue eyes exaggeratedly. "If you must know, I will tell you, but can I at least be put down first?"

He appeared to mull this over for a moment or two before releasing his grip and once again reclining against the Goshinboku's roots. She made her way back and caught his impatient gaze. With a heavy heart she relayed to him the boundaries of her wish on the jewel, all the while looking at her loafer-covered feet. She told him of her inability to go home until the shards were recovered and her eventual departure when her task was complete.

His brow was furrowed when she concluded her story and he spoke slowly. "Then why must you collect the Shikon Shards? Keep the three you have, so you know the jewel will not be completed, and then make a life here. You told me once that you wished to."

"Yes, and I still do. But if it means sacrificing my family, or the lives of countless others at the hands of power-hungry youkai with shards, then I will go home. I will go back to my time and live a boring, plain, uneventful existence, and try to forget my time here."

He raised her gaze to his again, with a single finger under her chin. "Never forget your past, Kagome. Your past is what makes you, and if you forfeit such a bounty of knowledge that you learned here, or sacrifice your memories in order to save yourself a few tears, you are not the woman I thought you were."

Unable to hold back any more, she sobbed and fell forward into Sesshoumaru's chest. He stiffened at the unexpected contact, looking unsure what to do, before tentatively placing a hand on her head, as he did for Rin, and running his claws through her hair gently. "But…" she choked out, her voice muffled in his haori, "I can't even collect the shards! InuYasha is gone, my friends are getting married and starting their family, and I am too _weak_ to go on my own. I'm such a fool."

She felt his sigh. "Miko, look at me." He waited until her gaze met his and frowned. "You may be weak of body but you are no fool. And you will get your shards."

"How do you figure?" she said, sniffing and trying to quell her grief.

"Simply," he said, standing and settling her on her feet. "I will assist you."


	4. Revelation

Disclaimer: No own. Hmm…the progress on finding the "Sesshy Be Real" scroll isn't going so well…damn!

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 4 - Revelation_

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Her heart skipped a beat as she turned her incredulous gaze on her companion. "What?"

"Yes. I will assist you in your collection of the Shikon Shards."

"Why would you do that?" she said suspiciously, eyeing him critically.

"If not for you I would be dead. I owe you as much."

"No, no, no. We went through this when I saved Rin from that ogre outside the palace. I don't want you to be in my debt."

"Yes, but my honor is at stake. When you refused be to repay you for Rin, I simply found little ways to make up for it, but this is a much bigger thing. You restored my life, and for that, I will repay you."

She huffed and stomped her foot childishly. "Sesshou! I don't want anyone to be in my debt for anything! I did what was right, because you are my friend. And you wanting to help because of some damnable debt is hurting _my _honor."

"Then…" he paused, flicking his eyes over her face with the smallest of frowns on his face. "Let me help you as your friend."

Her anger evaporated immediately, her gaze softening on him. "You really want to help?"

"Yes, I do. If you're being forced out of this time, at least I can make sure you go safely."

She smiled brightly and it finally engulfed both her face and eyes as it hadn't in months. "I would like that very much. Perhaps you can retrieve Rin, since Shippou will likely be traveling with me, so they will have eachother?"

He nodded slightly. "When do you wish to depart?"

She seemed to think this over, her head tilting to one side. "How about in two weeks? My friends' wedding is coming up."

"Weeks?"

"Yes, remember? A week is seven days."

"Hn." He nodded a bit abruptly. She had taken it upon herself to slowly teach him ways of the future, and though he thirsted for knowledge, she could tell it still made him feel strange to be taught by a human woman.

"You will come back for me then?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll let you go, my lord; I don't wish to hold you here."

His eyebrow quirked at her address of him, and he sniffed. "What if this Sesshoumaru wishes to stay longer?"

One corner of her mouth pulled up in amusement. "Then this Kagome will not complain."

He shook his head slowly in amusement, his silken hair swaying. "Well, when we last spoke, you were explaining these 'cars' to me."

"Oh, yes! They are a form of transportation…"

* * *

Four days had passed since Sesshoumaru's impromptu visit, and Kagome was trying to decide what she would need to take along. Performing her miko duties had graced her with small items of payment, but her huge yellow backpack could not hold everything. She took a fine number of arrows, several quivers full, in order to ensure her usefulness. Years ago Sango had made her learn how to fight with a sword if worst came to worst, but that was a last resort. She was awful at it, usually just hacking blindly and hoping for the best. No, her arrows and miko abilities would have to do.

She also packed as many outfits as she had, including a beautiful fine kimono Sesshoumaru had given her during her stay with him. Who knew what would come up on the journey? She shrugged and folded them nicely before pushing them into her bag. What else? Her bathing supplies, surely. She had taken to using unscented ones, because InuYasha had always complained of the overpowering smell of flowers after her baths.

Her brush and hair accessories were a must. She usually left her hair flowing freely, but summer was coming up fast and she knew she would regret not having an elastic tie to pull her hair up with. She also grabbed most of the dwindling supply of Ramen and Pocky she had brought on her last trip from the future. She left a bit of both for Miroku and Sango, knowing that they enjoyed it as well.

She tilted her head as she looked over all her remaining items. Most weren't necessities, things like hair pieces and the cake-like makeup of the time. She passed these over with a small look of disgust on her face. No, she did not need that. But what else? Her eyes fell on a small doll that a little girl had once forced her to take; she was a sweet child. She snatched this up and decided to take to give to Rin, knowing that Sesshoumaru wasn't the kind of man to get a doll for a little girl, 'his' or not. She chuckled at the thought.

A bright light filled the room as the doormat was moved aside, and she turned to smile at Shippou, who bounded immediately to her shoulder. "Hey, Kagome! What are you doing?"

"I'm packing up for when Sesshoumaru comes to get me at the end of next week."

A shiver ran through the fox's body at this. "I dunno know how you befriended him, Kagome, but he gives me the creeps still."

"Hey! He's a good guy in there somewhere," she said with a chuckle. "He would never harm me, or you since he knows I love you." She poked him in the belly with a smile.

"I still feel like I'm gonna turn to stone when he looks at me! He's just so scary!"

She grinned. "You'll get used to him. At least you will if you're going to come with me?" she said with a hopeful, questioning lilt.

"What? You mean you want me to?"

"Of course I do! How could I ever imagine leaving you behind? Besides, Rin with be there, and someone has to be able to look after her. We all know smelly old Jaken can't do the job alone," She nuzzled his hair affectionately.

"Yes, I want to come!" She giggled as he puffed his chest in pride. "I won't let you down!"

"Of course you won't."

She continued packing up things for an hour before her bag was filled the brim. Various herbs, medicines, and bandages, both from her own era and her current one, filled the last of the space. Smiling with satisfaction she stood, waking up Shippou from his impromptu nap as she went to find Sango. Perhaps she would be up for a nice dip in the hot spring?

* * *

"Sango, do you think everything happens for a reason?" she asked her friend, tilting her head to the side a little sadly.

Dark brown eyes met hers and Sango smiled tightly. "Yes, actually I do. I think that no matter how terrible something might seem, no matter what grieves us, that eventually things will work out. That is, if we are strong enough to endure the trials."

"How can you be so sure though?"

"Because we are the proof, if there ever was any in this world. Look at us our group, Kagome. A brash and reckless hanyou, a cursed, perverted monk, a battle-worn slayer who lost her village, a girl from the future, and an orphaned fox youkai. We all had desperate and overwhelming odds thrown at us, but we persevered. If these terrible, life-changing things had never happened to us, we would never have fallen together as we did. I cannot change my past, and I miss my family very much, but look at all I've gained! I've found true love, the first real friends of my life, and I appreciate every day like it is my last. I came too close to death not to. Can you honestly say you wish this all had never happened?" she asked, dipping her head underwater to wet her hair.

Kagome took a deep, fortifying breath. "Never. I can't imagine my life without having come here. I can't imagine being like my silly, annoying friends in my time, with nothing more to think of than boys and gossip. If not for being here, I never would have fallen in love with InuYasha, never would have known what it was like to look evil in the eye and know that I would overcome it. I never would have known what true friendship was. But no matter what else happened, and how much I wouldn't change, I don't understand why we have to lose someone so... good. Why InuYasha? Why did he have to go? He didn't deserve a life so short."

Sango cocked her eyebrow as she used Kagome's shampoo on her hair. "Short? You call two hundred some-odd years short?"

"Fifty was stuck to a tree, you know," Kagome said, taking the bottle to give her own hair the same treatment. "And yes, for him it was short. Had he been able to live out his life, who knows how much longer he might have had? How many more things he might have experienced? Most of his life was so empty, without his parents or friends or… or anyone!"

"You're acting like he was struck down. He _wanted_ this, Kagome. Misguided or not, his honor bound him to Kikyou. And as for his life… you're right. But you turned that all around for him. You gave him the peace of knowing a true friendship, of trust and family. With what you gave him, his life was complete. Grieve for your loss, Kagome, but don't grieve for him."

Blue eyes widened and her mouth snapped shut. Sango was right, of course. InuYasha did not want to be grieved for. It was only her grieving for what she no longer had. She blinked rapidly as realization sunk in and she leapt at her friend, mindful not to hit a soapy head against her face, and hugged her tightly. "Oh Sango, thank you so much. I never… I never thought of it like that."

Sango pushed her away with a laugh. "I know you hadn't, but I'm glad you see what I mean. Now, lets rinse off and get out of this water. I can't believe that all this contact with the water isn't terrible for our skin."

Kagome laughed at her friend, shaking her head. She refused to believe that frequent bathing would not cause wrinkles or other terrible effects on her. Such was the belief of the time, and such was the reason that demons like Sesshoumaru couldn't stand being near humans. The nose of canine youkai were famous for their acuity, though it only proved annoying for them in many situations. Being near any number of stinking, unbathed people was one of them.

They dried and dressed slowly; there was no reason to rush today. All they had planned was to make sure preparations for the wedding were in order and to perhaps play with hairstyles for the bride. They giggled together as they walked back towards Edo, and Kagome's shoulders finally felt light enough to allow her to walk with her head held high.


	5. Refelections

Disclaimer: Still no own.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 5 - Reflections_

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The wedding had been a beautiful thing, and Kagome had spent most of it in tears. When the groom and bride finally kissed, she had been sobbing in happiness. Her friends, the pairing she had been able to see forming for years now, were finally able to be together. She had known this day would come once Miroku had desisted groping anyone but Sango and she had seen Sango's grins after dealing him a booming scream that the monk was nothing but a pervert. Kagome was beyond happy for them.

Sesshoumaru would be arriving for her and Shippou the next day, the same day that her friends would be setting out back to the Exterminator's village to begin their rebuilding efforts. She had promised to visit. A part of her was still aching over the idea that her friends would not be departing with her this time. For years they all had traveled, fought their battles, and traded their secrets side by side. Now she would be going with Sesshoumaru; while he wasn't her enemy, it just wasn't the same as going with her closest friends. She would miss them.

She supposed, though, on some level, it was for the best. She couldn't imagine traveling with Sango and Miroku, only to be reminded every day of her original companion. Sure, she still thought of him every day in some capacity, but it would be worse seeing the 'regular' group in its entirety, missing the familiar fire rat's robes.

Traveling with Sesshoumaru was going to be… different. For one, she knew that fights would practically be over before they had even begun. There would be few demons, jewel shards or no, that could stand up to the youkai lord's poison whip, claws, or blade. For another, she knew the cheery conversation she had become accustomed to on the shard hunts would be at a minimum; though Sesshoumaru and she often had long involved conversations, it didn't happen around others. The only time they'd have for that would be at night, once the children had gone to bed.

Part of her mind couldn't wrap around the idea of collecting the Shikon Shards with Sesshoumaru. He had been their enemy for so long, and only in the last year that that had changed. First, InuYasha had been injured in a fight against Moryoumaru. Even with his uncanny healing abilities, he was down hard, and had been very lucky to even survive. Knowing the dilemma, Naraku had gone after Kagome with a fury, attempting to retrieve the pieces of the jewel that she held. The battle was fierce, with several puppets and Kagura to boot. With only Sango, Miroku, and her, it was a losing battle from the beginning. Even though Kagura was obviously not fighting to her potential, the three of them had still been worn down quickly.

Sesshoumaru had arrived in a streak of white and silver, taking down the puppets and a large section of forest with one blast. Once Kagura had retreated, he had stared at Kagome for a long time, the gashes across her thighs and side bleeding, before lifting her and telling her friends that he would take her to the House of the Moon 'until the hanyou was capable of protecting her once more'. He didn't want the jewel completed by Naraku. Weakened by blood loss, she hadn't had it in her to put up much of a fight, and was promptly toted off to his palace.

It had been an interesting two months, to say the least. The first week she was stuck in bed, followed by another two weeks of arguing with Sesshoumaru at every turn. Her neck seemed to be permanently bruised from having his fingers and claws dug into it, but somehow she had survived those weeks. The second month was calmer. InuYasha was recovered, but she was not yet, so Sesshoumaru wouldn't release her. The barrier that surrounded the grounds was too strong for even Red Tessaiga, so her friends were forced to wait. During this time she began to spend a lot of times in the gardens and came to be rather at ease. She and Sesshoumaru barely spoke, but when they did they rarely argued anymore. They spent many evenings in one another's company, just watching the stars.

Kagome wasn't sure how it started, who started it, or why that night had been different, but suddenly it was. Just a random night like any other, six weeks after her 'capture', the two were sitting under the full moon and they had started talking. Kagome disclosed her origins, and discovered how curious the demon lord was. About everything. Anything he didn't understand, he wanted to. He told her it was because living as long as he had, it was rare to find things he didn't know about. It was then that she discovered, as well, how the lifespan of a demon was not so much a blessing as she might have thought.

She told him about InuYasha, about how she felt she was at her wit;s end. Of course, he had little to say about this, other than to tell her that she had to trust her own heart. It was that that led to her to the conversation with InuYasha, telling him that while she would always love him as her best friend, that she would release the 'love' she had been clinging to for him. He had kissed her then, a real kiss, slow and languid, and thanked her. He told her that had things been different he would have counted himself lucky to spend his life with her, but his honor wouldn't allow him to ignore his vow to Kikyou. Kagome had cried and fallen asleep in his arms. But the strength she had gotten from Sesshoumaru had allowed her to be strong and hold her head up, and treasure every day with her puppy-eared hanyou.

It was in the subsequent conversations with Sesshoumaru that she learned he did indeed have a heart. He was passionate about many subjects and felt a broad spectrum of emotions. From rage and jealousy, to love and guilt. The latter two, he said, not so much in the past five hundred years, but still there nonetheless. Rin had once again reminded him that he felt such things. He didn't like to talk about his past, though. He didn't like to talk much about himself at all. The only time she was able to get anything out of him was a night when he seemed deeper in thought than usual, and had insisted she wouldn't tell him anything else about her until she knew something about him.

So for one rather quiet night, he told her tiny tidbits of information out of the crisp silence. He never met her eyes, she never turned, he never elaborated. Just every so often he would say some little secret, seeming as if he were speaking to the stars themselves rather than the little miko beside him. Things she was sure he hadn't spoken of in a long time.

Like that he had feelings. That he had once been in love. That his mother had been killed when he was three hundred, still a teenager by demon standards. That his hatred for InuYasha was not for any reason she could comprehend. He told her how he was rather adept at painting, but he only did when he needed to relax. He also told her that he had not had an actual conversation like the ones they had been having in several hundred years, since his mother was killed. She felt a swelling of happiness within her at this, to know that somehow she had gotten him to open up when no one else could. Well, 'open up' might not be the correct term, but she could at least get him past his monosyllabic responses.

At last she told him she had to leave, and he had allowed it. But now they parted as friends, and she was hard pressed not to hug him when she went. Oh, the face InuYasha had made when she waved goodbye to his brother with a broad grin. That face had kept her from catapulting into the Lord of the Western Lands and telling him she would miss him. Every few weeks he would come to them, to InuYasha's chagrin, and he, Rin, Shippou, and Kagome would leave for a few hours. No one understood her friendship with the silver-haired demon, but none dared to stop her when she went with him. She always came back unharmed. This, of course, did not stop InuYasha from arguing every single time, but after a few well-placed 'sit's, he got over it.

The battle with Naraku had been a long time coming, and the day it arrived Sesshoumaru was there, with InuYasha arguing that HE was the one to protect Kagome, so his brother was not to interfere. She had sat him for that, saying that he was being an idiot. When Naraku had arrived, the two had stopped bantering and joined together against the evil hanyou, as much good as that had done. Kagome shuddered to think of that last battle, and quickly took her thoughts away from it.

So now, here she was, months after Naraku's defeat, and trying to sleep on the eve in which her new adventure would start. She missed her family; she had missed Souta's birthday already, and wondered how he was doing. Her mother was heartbroken that she wouldn't be coming home for a while, and was probably worried sick. Kagome wondered how her grandfather was holding up. His health had been deteriorating in the last year, and she really hoped to get to spend some time with him before he passed on. She hated the entire situation, but knew she had no other course of action.

She rolled to her side, watching her friends sleep. It would be a long time until they were all together like this again, if they ever were. She wondered if she should tell them that she would be leaving, but quickly decided against it. She wanted them to begin their new lives without burden, and she wanted their last times together to be untainted. She would miss them so much she could hardly breathe, but it really was for the best.

Kagome moaned and rolled over again, biting back tears. She wished so much for them both. She wanted Sango to make peace with herself. She wanted Miroku to learn to enjoy life free of his curse. She wanted their family to be full of laughter and many additions, with their every dream fulfilled. She wanted their memories of their hard times to be eclipsed by their new happiness, but for them to never forget how hard they worked to earn their lives. Sesshoumaru had been right. Past experiences had sculpted her into who she was, so she had to be strong and grasp the years of smiles, laughter, pain, and tears close to her. They would live on in her every time she remembered that these people had made her who she was.

She closed her eyes to sleep, content to wrap her thoughts of her loved ones around her as she drifted.

* * *

A/N: Though I cannot reveal those things I WILL do, but **I am going to now say what I know I will NOT do…**

1) NO DEMON KAGS! No! NEVAR! Haha. There are a few very good stories out there that include this, but there are a very LARGE amount that suck. Royally. No, her parents weren't actually demons, no she is not the hime of anything, and no she will not suddenly 'unlock' this. No. Half the fun of Kags/Sess is getting him to move past hating ningens…and seeing that discounting an entire species is wrong, because not all of them are the same.

2) NO TRAINING MONTAGE! Though I will reference to the fact that Sango buffed up her abilities to fight, and her miko powers will have grown substantially (also her ability to use said powers) in the four years she's been traveling in the Sengoku Jidai, there will be no 'let us train you now, leading to angst and sexual tension, la la la' moments.

3) NO ARM RESTORATION! I don't think ANYONE has the power to grow back an ARM in an instant. Healing, yes. Restoring bone, muscle, and tendons? No. I do think it would regenerate over time, but poor Sesshou will just have to wait it out.

4) NO 'OMG I'M PHYSICALLY ATTRACTED TO YOU SO MUST BE IN LOVE!' Love isn't lust, they are different things. Love is something borne of understanding, trust, and time together. So, it wont be 'jump in bed and aishiteru'. :P

5) NO 'WE HAD SEX AND NOW I AM IMMORTAL! WOO!' Though I like to idea of Kags sharing Sesshou's lifespan, I don't see mating a demon making this possible. Nice thought, like stories that do this, but I am not going to. I want to TRY to be original, damnit!

6) NO SESSHOU MIND READING OR DREAM POKING! He cannot get into her head. Would make understanding easier, sure, but no. Not to happen.


	6. Journey

Disclaimer: Nope. For the money, I'd own it, but I'm still content to let Takahashi-san write this wonderful series. sigh I need a life.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 6 - Journey_

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Weather in late spring was never predictable. The dreary haze they walked in was dreadful, the drizzle seeping through Kagome's t-shirt and seemingly into her bones. Shippou's small mass was her only source of heat as they trudged through InuYasha's forest on the beginning of their journey. It was mid-afternoon, but the deep grey clouds that covered the sky made it seem later than it was. The slight rain hadn't let up all day, and now her footing was becoming an issue. Kagome's sneakers slipped through the mud and she barely caught herself from plunging into the sticky ground.

"Kagome?" Rin called from her perch on Ah-Uh's back.

"Yes, Rin-chan?"

"Umm…do you have anything to eat in your bag? Rin is hungry."

"Alright, sweetie. Just a minute." She put a hand on one of Ah-Un's snouts to stop them, and they obeyed without hesitation. The beast of burden had taken a liking to her, since she slipped them treats when Sesshoumaru and Jaken weren't paying attention.

Now, Kagome rifled through her huge bag that was strapped to their side, digging out two bags of potato chips. She set Shippou behind Rin on Ah-Un and told them to share, which they did while chattering happily. Kagome smiled at the pair and jogged to catch up with their leader, ignoring Jaken's insults.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru, want one?" she said, tipping the open bag towards the demon lord. He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "It's food, trust me, it's good."

"Hn," he said grabbing one of the chips between his claws and examining it. "It is…oily."

"Yes, and it's terrible for you, but it tastes too good!" she said with a grin, munching another.

His eyes narrowed at the crispy treat before he nibbled off one end of it and frowned. "It is not… terrible."

She rolled her eyes as he popped the remainder in his mouth, chewing slowly as if trying to decide whether or not he liked it. She laughed and offered the bag again, getting a shake of his head in return. Kagome shrugged and offered the mostly eaten bag down to Jaken, who took it without thanks, but his eyes showed his thoughts. He had hated the girl when she first arrived in the House of the Moon, resented her attitude and demeanor… but even at her angriest she had never treated him terribly. And now on their journey she offered him food, asked him nicely when she needed something done, and didn't hit him like his master and his ward. Yes, for a human, she was acceptable.

The group chatted quietly, and night was approaching fast. The approach of night also meant the drop of temperature. Kagome pulled out a blanket from her bag, putting it around the two dozing children and shivering herself. She didn't want to dirty a sweater when they were likely to be stopping soon, so she bore the cold. An hour later her teeth were chattering. She jogged up to Sesshoumaru again, loosing her footing and collapsing into his back. He stopped and turned to the girl who was clung to him for balance, a slightly annoyed look on his face.

Kagome grinned sheepishly and blushed. "Sorry Lord Sesshoumaru."

He sniffed and turned away, his own equivalent to rolling his eyes. She walked beside him quietly for a moment before speaking up. "Hey, Sesshou?"

"Human wench! You shall address Lord Sesshoumaru with respect!" Jaken squawked.

His words were hardly finished before he was picked up by the neck in his master's claws, his expressionless golden eyes boring into Jaken's bulbous yellow ones. "Do not refer to Kagome as such," he said in his monotone, tossing Jaken with a flick of the wrist, sending him sailing into the forest.

Kagome couldn't repress a giggle as she turned back to the youkai, whose cool gaze was now turned on her. She shifted uneasily. "Uhh, what?"

His expression didn't change, but Kagome saw the slight tightening of his jaw that signified annoyance. "Stop calling me that."

"What, Sesshou?" she asked.

"Yes. I do not want honorifics, but use my full name."

"So I guess Sesshy-dearest is out, eh?" He scowled now as she laughed, and waved her hands. "Joke! I was joking!" She sighed as they started walking again, the chill setting back on her after the few moments entertainment. She turned to Sesshoumaru. "I was going to ask before all this, but I have a favor to ask," she said with a prize-winning grin to her friend.

He stopped and raised an eyebrow to her, waiting for her to elaborate. She squirmed under his gaze. "I'm cold. Can I wear your fluffy thing?"

His deadpan gaze returned as he turned back to the road. "No."

"Please!"

"No."

"Come on, why not? It's so fluffy… and it looks warm…"

"I hate that word."

"What word, warm?"

"No."

Kagome stopped and tapped her chin. "Fluffy?"

"Yes."

She laughed and ran ahead of him, standing and blocking his path. "Why do you hate the word fluffy?" she said incredulously.

"That is none of your concern."

"Sure it is! Or wait, 'You shall not tell this Kagome what is and is not her concern!'" she said in her best impression of him. He was not impressed and his cold expression dropped for a moment for a look of pure exasperation. She giggled. "Come on! Either let me wear your pelt, or tell me why you don't like the word fluffy. You can't not do both!"

"You think not?"

"Come on Sesshou!"

He growled low in his chest as she stepped back in front of him, stopping his progress. Sure, he could get around her easily, but that wasn't the point. "Cease this, miko."

"I will not, youkai."

He sighed, growing weary of this game, "I do not like the word Fluffy because that is what the half-breed used to call me when he was a child. It is a foolish word."

Her giggles escalated into laughter now, and she was clutching onto her stomach as she doubled over. He took the opportunity to move past her, but her fist in his hakama stopped him, "Oh, that's awesome. I'm sorry, but that's _adorable!_ I promise I won't say it ever again though. But man," she wiped tears from her eyes, "That is so cute!"

His look clearly stated his opinion on the matter. She ignored it and took back her place at his side as they walked. After another hour she was falling behind, he could tell she was tired. When a yawn spilt her face and he stopped, causing her to run into his back. "We shall camp here."

She looked around and nodded, setting up things beneath a tree. The rain had mostly stayed out from there, and she set the now awake children down to begin dinner. Jaken rejoined a few minutes later, and was ordered to go about making a fire. The rest of the evening was uneventful as they ate ramen and Kagome read the children a story. They were finally sleeping as Kagome mourned the loss of her sleeping bag. It had been destroyed in a small fire the month before. She pulled out her only other blanket; the children were using one of two. She determined she would rather be cold than dirty and laid it on the ground and herself upon it, glancing up to lock eyes with Sesshoumaru across the fire.

"Goodnight, Sesshoumaru," she yawned closing her eyes.

"Goodnight, Kagome," he said softly, watching her as she fell into dreamland.


	7. Urges

Disclaimer: Erm…maybe I should give up on my Sessy-be-real scroll… But hell, 'Katie should' and 'Katie does' are two very different concepts!

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 7 - Urges_

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A week had passed in their journey, rather uneventful but for the collection of four jewel shards. Kagome was in awe of how quickly it was going this time around, without Naraku's interference and with the seemingly invincible youkai lord at her side. Today though…today had been a mess. Kagome whined softly as she picked more youkai guts from her hair, trying not to breathe too deeply. Her blouse was in tatters - though thankfully still covering - and there was a grass stain in the knee of her favorite jeans. All she wanted now was a bath. A long, hot, bath. Which, thankfully, Sesshoumaru was currently trying to provide her with.

When he finally returned from the treetops he didn't speak a word, just turned a pointed look to Jaken and wrapped his arm around her waist, shooting off into the sparse forest. The onslaught of vertigo was merciless, since she hadn't expected him to just grab her, and she clung to his neck. Her face was buried against his skin and one of her hands was tangled in his long, silver hair. He blinked back the thoughts running through his mind and raced towards the spring he had found.

Currently, the demon lord was experiencing one of the emotions he had told Kagome he had - guilt. When they had stopped for lunch, everything had been fine. The recent days had been improving from the dreary mess they had started in, and the entire mood of the little group seemed to be lifting slowly. There was a cheer to them that hadn't been there in days. Then, lunch. A rare apple tree was full of ripe fruits, and Kagome had picked several for herself and the children, settling on the ground for a relaxing rest. Sesshoumaru decided to leave them for a while, needing some time alone.

The more time spend with Kagome, the harder it was becoming to reign in his emotions and urges. This was not a good thing. It was an hourly occurrence now that he had to re-imprison his beast, as it screamed and raged at him. He was unwilling to submit to the urges that told him to take her, to make her his, that she already was. So, he took a walk, trying to clear his mind and develop a better restraining method for his primal impulse.

It was then he had heard her scream. He leapt into action immediately, darting through the dense forest with all the grace of his long years, only to discover her form lying across that of his ward's, shielding her, cringing in wait for the imminent blow. But it did not come. With a fluid motion Toukijin was out and long streaks of blue lighting poured from it, the demon exploding on its impact.

So, that led to Kagome being rather irritable and covered in demon matter, glaring at Sesshoumaru and muttering about how, if she didn't get a bath right away, _she_ would be the next to explode. Without thinking, Sesshoumaru had immediately set out to find a hot spring. So, now here they were, flying through the afternoon sky while Kagome's face was pressed distractingly against his neck. He sighed in relief as the small spring came into view, settling his passenger on the ground.

"Make haste."

Kagome scowled and stared at him. "Well excuse me! I'm sorry, but after almost dying and then being covered in the flesh of a smelly demon, I think I am allowed a few moments of respite!"

Sesshoumaru winced inwardly, the feeling of guilt coming back strong. His eyes met hers, and the tightening of his jaw was all she needed to see to know what he was thinking. She softened and laid a hand on his arm, smiling weakly. "Thank you for saving me, Sesshou. Now, care to give me some privacy so I can undress and get this goop off me?"

His beast screamed but outwardly he remained collected. "I will not leave you again."

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "I need to bathe!"

"Then I will turn my back." Sesshoumaru turned, and knew this was a very bad idea as he heard her sigh at his back. The whisper of her strange clothing over skin reached his sensitive ears and he concentrated with all his might on a bush at his feet. It was a nice enough shrub. Healthy, green, and assuredly not a pleasant smelling, nude female. 

Kagome moaned in delight as the water slipped over her bare skin; it was on the verge of being too hot, but she wasn't planning to stay in long. The stiffening of Sesshoumaru's back went unnoticed, as did his fists clenching into balls and drawing his own blood as she mewed in happiness as she massaged her now gut-free wet hair. In respect for her companion, knowing he was probably uncomfortable with the situation, she hurried through her bathing, finishing in half the time it would have normally taken her. The lack of her bathing supplies also sped the process, and with that thought she stepped out of the steaming water and looked around.

"Umm… Sesshoumaru?"

"What is it, miko?"

"Ahh… you grabbed me before I could get my clothes…"

If she could have seen his face, she may have noticed how all color drained from it and his eyes widened, but from behind, all his stiffening looked like to her was annoyance. He jerked out of his armor without his usual grace, dumping it unceremoniously onto the ground and yanking off his obi and outer haori in one fluid motion. He held it back to her with downcast eyes, but even with his head turned she could see the red tint.

She stepped back, uncertain as to why he was so angry with her. It wasn't like she had _wanted_ to get that demon's insides splattered all over her. Her wariness was obvious in her scent, only driving Sesshoumaru madder. "Kagome, please, put on the haori. Now."

The miko bristled and stomped back to him, forgetting her nudity and snatched the garment, "You know what? I actually felt guilty for a minute that I had upset you, but now I don't care what I did to make you angry_._ I don't know why you decided _now_ was a good time to turn into bastard Sesshoumaru, but I would like the one that is my friend back now, if you please!"

He began to walk into the shelter of the trees, desperate to avoid what his mind was screaming. She was still shouting, but he had blocked her out in favor of the blood rushing in his ears. He needed to calm down.

Meanwhile, Kagome simply threw up her arms and yanked the haori on, tying the obi in a crude bow before telling him she was ready. He didn't meet her eyes, though his own were once again their golden hue, as he reattached his armor and snaked his arm around her, vaulting back into the sky to return to Jaken and the children. He was dead silent as was she, though for different reasons. Sesshoumaru was mentally berating himself for his conduct, while Kagome just fumed to herself over his perceived arrogance.

It was going to be a long day.

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The day seemed to drag on with no end, the tension between the youkai and miko thick enough to be tangible. The children were in a rare quiet spell, and Jaken had fewer annoying questions for his master than usual. It wasn't until evening set in that the aura of rigidity began to lessen, and by the time Kagome was set into making ramen for the small group, she was all smiles once more. She told the children another chunk of the fairytale she was dictating to them; the last few days it was Cinderella. Even Jaken sat to listen, his bulbous eyes glimmering as Kagome told the story.

Rin, of course, decided that her Lord Sesshoumaru was Prince Charming, and Cinderella was most defiantly pretty like her Kagome. Kagome blushed deeply at this, but trudged on. Once the pair had dozed, she kissed their heads and pet Shippou's tail idly for a moment. Even after all the events of the day she was not yet tired. So, she decided the best course of action would be to do what she always did to pass the time - talk.

"Sesshou?"

"What did this Sesshoumaru tell you about calling me that?"

"Sorry Sesshou… maru," she said with a grin, plopping down beside him and cocking her head. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

He sighed and locked onto her dark blue eyes. "What is the question?"

"What's with the moon?"

His head tilted ever-so-slightly to the side. "What do you speak of?"

She reached out a hand to him and he refrained from leaning into her as she ran her fingertips across his forehead. "Your crescent moon, I've always wondered why you have it."

"It is the make that indicates me as heir to the Western Lands."

Her brow furrowed as she thought about it, not aware that her hand was still tracing her companion's marking. "Wait, the heir? I thought you were the Lord?"

"That I am. But until such a time as I have a son, this mark remains."

"Wouldn't it make more sense for the _lord_ to be the marked one?"

Sesshoumaru sniffed, "Any being in his right mind would know a Ruler of a Cardinal Point, but for an heir it can be harder. This makes youkai aware whom they are facing and the consequences of any unfriendly actions. Usually before an heir actually becomes lord they would have a mate and heir already."

"Then why don't you?" she asked, then clapped a hand over her mouth and met his eyes sheepishly.

"That, Kagome, is for another night," he said softly, such a change from his usual tone.

She blushed at the implications his simple phrase turned up in her mind, and the crimson turned even darker when she realized how enjoyable said thoughts were. She coughed to cover her discomfort and looked to the children, trying to hide her burning face.

Sesshoumaru smiled to himself as she tried to hide her embarrassment; he knew that she knew he could smell and feel it, but she still always tried to hide. His smile only widened as she squirmed and an all too familiar scent hit him. But after the battle earlier in the day with his instinct, he was tightly in control.

He just reminded himself that his day would come. Maybe it would be another month, or two or six, but he would get what he wanted. Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands, son of the Inu no Taisho, always got what he wanted.


	8. Kaze

Disclaimer: Still no. Still not wanting to. Happy for Takahashi-san to do the dirty work. I just like twisting perceptions! Kukukukuku!

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 8 - Kaze_

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Another mostly uneventful week had passed, the group traveling and chatting cheerfully. Well, everyone but Sesshoumaru. The youkai lord, outwardly, looked as bored as ever, but inside even he was touched by the mood. He walked silently ahead of his ever-expanding pack, scanning the trees for any movement which might signify danger to them. Only two weeks into the journey and the jewel was a third of the way completed, fused around a silver chain on Kagome's neck. The expanding jewel drew enemies from all corners, and some were even foolish enough to approach when they saw who accompanied the Shikon Priestess.

Sesshoumaru was inwardly cringing at the idea of gathering the shards so quickly. He was loathe to relinquish his companion; greater good or not, he couldn't imagine going back to his previously empty and quiet life. He had spent so many years closed off, enjoying the solitude and not remembering what it was like to be involved in the bustle that accompanies other life forms around him. He hardly regarded his servants and Jaken, pestering though he was, had been his only companion for years. His small green retainer had been with him for over a century now, he realized.

Then came Rin. How she came to him in injury, unafraid, offering him food she had to steal, not caring that he didn't say a word to her. He had tried to resist the pull to her, but in the end, seeing her mangled body, he had lost the battle. The young girl had reminded him so much of _Her. _While he did not see his young ward in the light he had once seen Her, it was the purity of her heart that had made him need her around. Just like Her.

He closed his eyes as he walked, his mind trapped in the far past. She had been so pure and kind, no matter a person's heritage she would take to them if they had any good within them. In the months she had stayed in his father's castle, she had befriended even the most hostile of guards and servants, pulling them in with her bright smiles and warm heart.

By the Gods he had loved her. He hadn't even been two hundred years old at the time, but he had loved her nonetheless. He had spent endless nights with her under the stars in the gardens of what was now his palace, holding hands and speaking secrets to one another that they had never told a soul. He had been a naïve child, so open to her. It was long before he had perfected the mask that lay over his face now. He remembered the night he had kissed her first, the way she had lost the ability to stand after and blushed darkly enough that he could see it in the darkness.

Then… she was gone. As quickly as she had come into his life, she had left again. She had broken him for a decade before he had risen up once more, slowly forming the ice that encased him. She had been his chosen, his beloved, but she was gone.

Yes, in the subsequent years he had taken several bed partners; he was but a man. Through it all though, he had never kissed another but her. He refused to taint that memory for any random whore who sought his power and position. He didn't mind his solitude for so many years, until Kagome had broken into his life like a tornado, reminding him of life before all his kin had been struck down and before his father had fallen.

He snapped out of his musing when he felt the wind pick up around them, swirling around the group like a lover's caress. Sakura blossoms blew around them in a beautiful dance, but Sesshoumaru took no notice of such things and he halted in irritation. "Witch, cease your toying and show yourself."

Kagura walked from the trees slowly, a small amused smile on her crimson lips. "Ah, but my lord, toying is what I do best," the wind sorceress quipped. She sauntered closer and ignored Sesshoumaru's hand on Toukijin's hilt, her eyes turned to the miko behind him. "I come here on business."

"What business could you have here? I freed you from Naraku, so why aren't you enjoying that freedom?" Kagome stepping to Sesshoumaru's side and placed a hand on his arm, stopping him from drawing his blade.

"Ah, Kagome, I am. I never imagined being free could be as wonderful as it has been. I've been to many distant lands in the last few months, seeing things I only imagined while under the half-breed's control."

"Then why are you here?" the girl asked.

"I am here because of you. I tried to find you a moon cycle ago, but I was told by the monk and demon slayer that you were… incapacitated. By the way, my condolences," she said with a bow to the cringing miko.

"Thank you," Kagome said softly. "But that still doesn't tell me why you're here."

"Mm. Well, I spent moons free, experiencing life, and now I have come to repay my debt to you. If not for your kindness, I would have died alongside Naraku at the hands of your friends. But you allowed me freedom, and for that I must show my gratitude."

Kagome cringed and balled her hands. "What is it with you damn demons and you debts? Arg!" She stomped her foot childishly. "I'll tell you the same thing I told Sesshoumaru, I don't want it. The things I do, I do because I feel they are right, not because I want something in return. And frankly, it's insulting that everyone comes to me like this is why I did favors for them!"

Kagura met her gaze. "I mean no insult, but in youkai society, it is only right to repay your savior. Our honor is like yours, though you are the only human I have ever met to display it. My honor dictates that since you gave me a life, I must repay that."

"Well, I don't want you to."

"You would insult me so?"

Kagome narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw, turning to lock eyes with her silent companion. He met her gaze levelly, the silent conversation played out with their eyes making sense to no one else. The miko sighed in resignation. "Well, Kagura, I do not wish to insult you, but I will not allow you a debt. But I will offer you what Sesshoumaru offered me, and that is to help me. But not by duty or force, but by friendship." Inwardly, Kagome mulled over how she was now offering friendship to a second former enemy, and the thought almost made her almost giggle.

"Friendship?" the wind witch repeated, her eyes downcast. Even in her life before being absorbed by Naraku, she had been solitary. While in her captivity she had bonded with her 'sister' Kanna, but she had met her demise at Naraku's hand a year prior. She never imagined a life beyond freedom, and maybe a few offspring of her own from the handsome demon lord in front of her. She mulled over the thought of a friend. She knew what it entailed from weeks of watching over the group of shard hunters back in the day, but she couldn't fathom being offered something so precious by the girl in front of her. She raised her magenta eyes to meet the girl's again and made her decision. This girl was unlike any she had ever met, or ever would meet. "I would be honored to call you friend."

Kagome beamed then and nodded to her, then turned back and poked Sesshoumaru in the arm. "Can we stop for the night? It's getting late."

Sesshoumaru ignored the assault on his person and gave her a nod, but Kagura cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. Was this the same Sesshoumaru? It was strange enough for her to have found Kagome traveling with him, but to see how familiar she was with him was a little shocking. Internally she bristled as thoughts of the future father of her children being involved with a mortal girl, but laughed it off. The Lord of the Western Lands would never stake his heart on something so ephemeral, right?

The group went to work setting camp, and Kagura watched them in silence. The children clung to Kagome like a mother, following her and chattering about random inanities. Sesshoumaru's retainer mumbled as he gathered firewood, and the always stoic youkai lord just sat against a tree and leaned back, his arm draped elegantly over his raised knee, as he observed his pack. Kagura felt a bit out of place as she watched.

Soon, Kagome had prepared a meal of some strange smelling food, and offered some to the lord, who refused politely. Kagome turned to Kagura with a smile and held out a bowl. "Would you like some? It's really rather good."

A little apprehensively, Kagura accepted the strange noodles, plucking one daintily between her chopsticks and putting it in her mouth. Her eyes widened a little at the bowl. It _was_ good. She ate slowly, but finished every bit, thanking the little miko who was now settling the children for bed. She listened to the fairytale that she told the children theatrically, and smiled at the little scene they made. After a bit she grew restless and excused herself, taking to the skies for some relaxation.

"Kagome?" Rin asked after the story was over and Kagura had left.

"Yes, Rin?"

"Why is that lady here now? She took me away from my Lord Sesshoumaru. She isn't going to again, right?"

Kagome smiled kindly. "No, Rin. There was a very bad man who made her take you and do lots of other horrible things. But, your Lord Sesshoumaru and me and my friends made him go away, so she won't do anything like that anymore."

"That's good," Rin said with a smile and a yawn, closing her eyes as she curled up next to Shippou at the end of their long day. Kagome sighed wistfully and rose, striding over to Sesshoumaru and settling beside him, like usual.

"It's so nice to let Shippou have someone his own age to play with."

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow at this. "He is far from her age."

"Hmm?" she asked, confused.

"You do not know how old your pup is?"

She shifted a bit at the implication that Shippou was hers, but simultaneously realized it was more or less true. "I never thought to ask. I know that age means something totally different to demons, so we wouldn't be celebrating any birthdays, so I wasn't concerned."

Sesshoumaru bit back a grin as he watched her reaction. "Well, to inform you, he is at least eighty years old. Perhaps more."

Kagome looked dumbstruck, "_Eighty_? He's older than my grandfather! Why does it look so little, then?"

"Because fox youkai, for the first century of life, stay in a child's form. It is the best form of protection for them. Once he reaches one hundred he will grow rapidly, faster than a human would, until he reaches maturity. Then his aging will practically cease."

"Wow, I can't believe I treated him like a baby all this time!"

"He technically still is. He is the equivalent to a human child hardly older than Rin's age in maturity, but he holds the wisdom of his years."

"Ah, well, that explains his strange moments of clarity," she said with a giggle. "It's strange, though, to know he's older that I'll ever be."

"You do not know that for certain."

"I don't wish to be that old, so I am. I don't want to be old enough to not be able to take care of myself."

"Hn."

"Well, now I know something new. What about you dogs? How do you age?"

"We age as humans for the first few years of life, then the process slows a bit. Psychically maturing maybe one year for every five. Once we reach the appearance of an adolescent, it slows down to one year every twenty or so, then even more to one every fifty. Inuyoukai are…" he trailed off, "…were one of the most powerful races of demons, so our life spans are nearly eternal. We reach full maturity at five hundred years, and hardly age at all from there on."

"Your father looked older than you, how old was he?"

"Approximately four thousand years."

Kagome gagged and stared in disbelief, but saw no hint of joking in Sesshoumaru's eyes. "Well, holy cow."

"Holy… cow?"

She ignored his dubious look and asked another question. "You said inuyoukai _were_ the most powerful race. What did you mean?"

"I mean were. Now there are so few of us left, it is impossible to call us completely superior. As a race we still outmatch any other, but such a dwindled population, we are no longer on top."

"Why are there only a few left?"

"Many years ago, a huge war broke out between humans and youkai… there were many killed in their sleep, callously. It was dishonorable, but the humans didn't care. While the youkai came out victorious, there were many causalities. Take that along with our species' propensity towards procreation with humans, and it has cut and dwindled out bloodline to nothingness."

She winced at the comment about humans. "Is that why you hate humans so much?"

He was silent for a few minutes, leaving Kagome to believe he wouldn't answer. She was about to ask something else when his low baritone spoke out. "In a way, yes. It showed me that, as a race, humans are conniving, greedy, selfish idiots who are not to be trusted. That, coupled with the stench of decay and feces, makes me more than happy to avoid them."

Kagome's eyes slid down to her hands, this small sad movement not lost on her stoic companion. She sighed silently. "We aren't all bad, you know."

A single clawed finger reached for her chin and tilted her head up, blue eyes locking with golden ones only inches from her. "I know. There are exceptions to every rule, and this Sesshoumaru considers himself lucky to have found two. You have a spirit all your own."

Before Kagome could react to the uncharacteristically kind sentiment, she felt a soft pressure against her lips and her eyes widened. '_AHH! He's kissing me! Wow, his lips are soft… and warm... AHH! He's KISSING me!"_

Her eyes slid shut and she leaned slightly into the soft contact, which only lasted moments before it was taken away. Kagome felt a sense of loss, and her mind was racing. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, was back in his original sitting position, not a hair out of place, as if he'd never moved. Had she imagined it? Her lips still tingled, and she was sure she hadn't.

Her heart still hadn't slowed as she finally worked up the courage to look back into the Sesshoumaru's face. It was blank as usual, the marble features untouched, but his eyes blazed as he looked at her from the corner, emotions in them she was unable to decipher. Her breathing was barely calming as he turned his face to the night sky. "You should get some rest. We will start out early tomorrow."

She blinked several times before nodding her acquiescence, standing, and walking to the blanket she had laid out for herself near the children. Why was he suddenly so silent? Did he not mean to kiss her? She sighed at the thought that her second kiss had been a mistake and closed her eyes, lost to a turbulent sleep.

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A/N: Yeah, adding in Kagura is overdone, but I like her character a lot. I need someone who can bluntly think the lusty thoughts I have of Sesshou, because Kags would never think the things I think. XD Spoiler I know, in the manga she is killed off, but like I said at the beginning: I am taking liberties with the all-mighty Takahashi-san's storyline. The demise of Kagura and Toukijin being the biggest omissions. /Spoiler

A note on ages - yes, Shippou is that old. Kinda. He's at least fifty in the anime, because he was alive when the panther demons came the first time, right after InuYasha was sealed to Goshinboku. And InuYasha is a little over 200, according to Tenka Hadou no Ken, the 3rd movie. I think the 3rd movie is the only one to go by, because it was actually canon (in my opinion, at least). GASP! As for how youkai age or how old Sesshoumaru is…that's just my thoughts. So yeah.


	9. Pouring

Disclaimer: No own Inu or any characters related…nor do I own the song I mention in this chapter. It's called Wind Nocturne (Boat Song) and it's from the video game Lunar…and I used to sing it to my daughter when she was teensy. Veryyy pretty song, I recommend downloading it.

**7/26/10 - Still editing as well as I can. This really is bad. I'm fixing as best as I can, though, without this turning into a project that includes pulling it down, rewriting from scratch, and forgetting I was so lame. :P**

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 9 - Pouring_

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Once Kagome's breath had evened, Sesshoumaru stood with a faint frown. He had told her she was different, she had kissed him back... so why did she seem so forlorn? Human women were even more confusing than youkai women, it seemed. He began a short patrol around camp, deciding to loosen his muscles in the only way he knew how - a fight. He stayed within earshot of the group, to prevent any repeats of the week before, and kept his aura searching for threats at all times. An hour and seven minor youkai later left Sesshoumaru much more relaxed and ready to meditate the rest of the night away.

As the campfire came into sight, he was alerted to a presence behind him. He turned around coolly, raising an eyebrow into the darkness. He was upwind from whatever was there, so scenting wasn't an option. _'Wind?'_ He had to resist the temptation to roll his eyes into the darkness, "What do you want, witch?"

"So cold, my lord, so cold. How about I warm you up a little?" Kagura said as she approached, a seductive grin playing across her features.

Sesshoumaru raised one brow, turned on his heel and paced away at his normal strolling gait. This time he really did roll his eyes when he felt fingertips trailing down his arm. He turned to face the wind youkai and narrowed his gaze. "Remove your hands from this Sesshoumaru's person unless you would like assistance with the removal," he drawled, the smile on her face quickly transforming to a pout.

"What's your problem? I'm free now, and I have wanted you for years. You would be the perfect father to my children. Perfect body, perfect power, perfect mind… perfection. And I promise you wouldn't be disappointed," she purred sliding closer to him.

"Hn," he said shortly, turning and walking back to the clearing.

Just as he reached the fire, he heard her call back to him. "Maybe Naraku was right about you liking men then…"

Sesshoumaru ignored her taunt and went back to his tree across the fire from Kagome, lowering himself and focusing on the fire as he began his meditation for the night.

* * *

The tension as the group traveled was tangible. Kagome's normal cheer was cut to a mere ghost of its usual self, her smiles fake. She avoided eye contact with the demon lord at all costs, even when speaking directly to him, which in itself wasn't often. He was exasperated, and was tightly reining in the urge to grab her and pin her to a tree by her neck until she explained what was wrong. It couldn't possibly be the kiss, could it?

In fact, that was only part of it. The silent miko was currently at war with herself, attempting to beat her ever-growing attraction and fondness for the youkai into submission. She had vowed long ago to not allow herself to want more than friendship for Sesshoumaru, but somehow this was not the case. Apparently a rebellious part of her mind had been harboring very non-platonic thoughts about him, and were currently throwing a full blown mutiny within her.

She would not and _could not_ have feelings for Sesshoumaru. This was not allowed. She kept yelling logical reasons to her seemingly deaf other parts, but was promptly ignored. No matter he was InuYasha's brother, no matter he was a youkai, no matter that she would be _leaving_ in a few more months at most, no matter that he would never harbor feelings for a human… they ignored her and went on discussing his finer point with each other. Kagome mentally threw up her arms and growled, not noticing the sound was vocal in the world outside her head until she saw Sesshoumaru looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

She blushed and looked down quickly. "What?"

"My suggestion of getting out of the rain was so unsatisfactory?"

She heated crimson. "Sorry, I wasn't listening, that wasn't directed at you."

"Ah."

"It's going to rain?"

"Yes, and there is a cave nearby."

"Where did Kagura go?"

"She said she had an acquaintance nearby with a jewel shard, so she decided to go call upon him," he said with a smirk and a wave of his hand, as he lead the group to the cave and pulled the napping children to the floor. "This storm will last a few days, I think we should return to the House of the Moon in the morning to wait out its end. It would not be acceptable for you or Rin to become ill."

She nodded in agreement and sat back against the wall of the cave, staring out at the darkening sky with a dark look of her own. Her eyes were clouded over, Sesshoumaru noted, as she occasionally grunted or shook her head in frustration. It was really too much.

"Kagome?" Shippou inquired, climbing into her lap.

"Yes, Shippou?"

"You're going to leave me soon, aren't you?"

Kagome's breathe hitched and she met his watering green eyes. "Why would you say that, sweetie?"

"I can tell it's going to be soon. Do you have to go?"

Kagome smiled softly, tightening it to keep it from wavering as she cupped his cheek. "Yeah, Shippou, I have to. You know I would stay here with you forever if I could, but fate seems to think its better this way."

"I don't think I like fate very much."

"Neither do I. Neither do I."

"Why do you have to leave me?"

She closed her eyes and tilted back her head, after a long moment of silence she laughed ruefully. "Because, my little love, it seems that fate thinks its rightness is more important than my happiness."

Shippou curled closer into her and wrapped his short little arms around her as best as he could, trying to muffle his own whimpers.

Dinnertime came after several hours of a slightly uncomfortable silence, and the rain was dripping silently outside of their temporary abode. The main brunt of the storm wouldn't hit until later that night, with a small reprieve sometime the next day before the second, stronger wave hit. Sesshoumaru's sense of smell, aggravating as it was at times, came in handy in situations such as this. He watched Kagome hand out dinner, accepting some for himself with a nod, and settle the children down. She had finished the story of Cinderella the night before and was stroking Shippou's tail lovingly as she pondered what story to tell them now.

"Kagome, sing us a song tonight. Rin heard you singing at the river this morning, and Rin thinks you have a very pretty voice!" she crooned, smiling hopefully at the older girl.

Kagome sighed uncertainly, but a reverent look from Shippou convinced her. "Fine, I'll sing you a song. But you have to go to sleep after, alright?"

"Yes!" the two children said in unison, snuggling under their blanket against Ah-Un's belly and looking adoringly up at her.

Her voice was soft at first, gaining in intensity as she went. She sang of being lost but retaining hope, being incomplete and worried she was not strong enough. As she sang the final line, "Is my star to come?" and opened her eyes finally, looking down at the two now-sleeping children. Her gaze softened as she leaned over to kiss each on the brow. She didn't feel the tears slipping down her cheeks until one fell onto Rin's forehead as she leaned to kiss the girl. She smiled ruefully and scrubbed her face, huffing and returning to her spot near the cave's entrance.

Sesshoumaru had watched the performance in silence. Her voice, while nothing spectacular, had a clear and sweet quality that was endearing. The words, though, were what left an impression on his heart. He stood in a hiss of silk and walked over to her silent figure, lowering himself soundlessly beside her.

"Do you really see yourself as such?" he said quietly, breaking the aching silence.

Kagome turned and met his eyes intentionally for the first time that day. "Yes."

"You should not. Perhaps you are just unwilling to see the star that is already been there."

She dropped her eyes and frowned faintly. "And perhaps I know better than to be a foolish dreamer. I spent years being one, I know the consequences now."

"It is one thing to be realistic, it is another to be a pessimist."

She snorted in an undignified fashion and looked back out into the night. "There's nothing pessimistic about knowing that its impossible to have something, and choosing to ignore the possibility."

"What if it weren't impossible?"

Kagome turned and looked directly into his eyes with a disbelieving look, but something that she saw there caused her to suck in a breath through her nose. Her teeth worried her lip hard enouh that the faintest trace of blood was in the air. "Why? Why do this to me? Sesshoumaru, I am leaving in a few months, for good! You're only making it harder!"

Her lip was still bleeding slightly and Sesshoumaru gripped her chin and leaned towards her, running his tongue across the cut gently, removing the blood and stopping new bleeding at the same time. She had gone rigid still in his grasp, and once her lip was sufficiently healed he pressed closer to her, his tongue now moving across her lips in order to seek entrance.

It was several long moments before she responded, opening her mouth slightly to allow his tongue through. She relaxed just enough to lean into him as they shared the slow, sweet kiss. Her fingers hesitantly moved up, entwining themselves into his hair behind his ears. Sesshoumaru's arm went around her waist, yanking her to him as he pressed his lips hard against hers, deepening the kiss.

It was then Kagome came to her senses. She broke the kiss and shoved at his no longer armored chest, the traitorous parts of her mind purring at the feel of the lean muscles underneath his haori. She succeeded in escaping his grasp and glared down at him, her eyes blazing through hot, stinging tears. "Damnit Sesshoumaru! Damn _you_! I just got finished telling you that its impossible! I will not _let_ this happen! I can't! I _have to go home, damnit_!" her voice build to a scream by the end. "Why would you do this to me? Am I so amusing to play with? I am no one's toy!" she spat, then ran out into the pouring rain, leaving a staring youkai lord in the cave behind her.

* * *

A/N: The song I mentioned, again, is 'Wind Nocturne (Boat song)' from Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, and I love it. Youtube to listen to it, it is worth it. Heartbreaking and sweet all at the same time.


	10. Without

Disclaimer: Neh, no own InuYasha or any related characters or plot devices. But, I am happy to own this storyline, and this version of Sesshoumaru. Because I am a manipulator and have made him my own through subterfuge!

Some InuKag in this chapter, as a warning. But just in a flashback.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 10 - Without_

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Kagome ran faster than she could ever remember doing so, mindless of the rain that was steadily soaking through her sweater and slacks. When thunder boomed through the sky, the momentary distraction was all it took for her usual lack of grace to catch up with her, a tree root upending her brutally into a small brook (or at least what had become one in the harsh rain). She rose up onto her forearms, the water she laid in little deeper than a puddle, sobs wracking her frame.

For months now she had pushed back the compounding knowledge that not only was she about to be torn out of her life here, but torn out of the relationships she had formed. It was the depth of said relationships that scared her most. She had been thus far unwilling to analyze how bad this separation was going to be, but she realized now she had to. There, belly down in the rain and numb to the cold, she finally came to terms with the need to realize what she would lose.

Her little Shippou whom she had taken care of for nearly half a decade, mothering him in whatever ways she could, who looked at her as if she could rearrange the stars in the sky if he asked her to. In the last several years she had been by his side more days than not, caring for him and comforting him when he needed it. How many nights had he slept in her sleeping bag with her on shard hunts? How many times had she had to defend him from InuYasha? How many times had she been at the grocery store in her own time contemplating what special thing she should bring him?

Her thoughts turned to Miroku and Sango. Until her adventures in the Feudal Era, she had really had had no idea what real friendship was. Sure, she had 'friends' in the modern era, but they were just petty relationships revolving around gossip and competition. It was Sango and Miroku, those two who had risked their lives for her on countless occasions, whom she had laughed and cried with, who had shown her the truth. Friendship was not the same as a passing companionship, true friendship was a bond. It was a willingness to put the needs of another over your own, to treasure every moment spent. Though Kagome was naturally rather self-sacrificing, she had no qualms being sneaky with her modern friends or simply turning down their offers to 'go out' with then when she was home.

Her relationships with Miroku and Sango had been tumultuous, with so many highs and lows. She remembered their troubled first meetings, and the bonds that had flared to life so quickly. She remembered watching Miroku late at night, massaging his Kazaana through the cloth, as if willing it to disappear. She remembered the several weeks Sango had slept with her after Kohaku's death. She remembered late night talks in the hot springs about their 'boys' and long moonlight walks with Miroku as the discussed anything on their minds.

Even Kaede. She had become the grandmother Kagome had never known, and her level of understanding with the strange girl from the future went far beyond that of teacher-student. She had been there to assure Kagome that she was right in her decisions concerning InuYasha, and to stroke away the tears in the weeks following InuYasha's damning decision to go with Kikyo to hell. In the first months of her arrival, only Kaede had been able to soothe the doubts about her worthlessness in comparison to her former incarnation.

For some reason her thoughts turned to Kouga. She almost laughed allowed at that thought, sad that she hadn't seen him in so many long months. How annoying that boy could be! But despite his aggravating possessiveness and generally uncouth behavior, his heart was true and he was a loyal and sweet friend. A few times he had come across her as she was broken down over something InuYasha had done, and had shown wisdom beyond what she thought he possessed as he comforted her. He was a true diamond in the rough, and sometimes she wondered why she could never see him in the light he wanted her too.

Unwillingly, her mind began turning to her newly acquired pack. Thoughts of little Rin came first. She was such a darling child. Her purity was unheard of in the era she resided, her ability to see beyond a person's exterior and into their hearts made Kagome sigh out loud. She was the most amazing soul that she had ever encountered in her own world or this one. She made all life forms, youkai and human alike, draw towards her with a single smile. She had melted the hearts of so many, even the toad.

Jaken. Not much to say about him. He was smelly, dirty, and obnoxious, but Kagome decided she would miss him all the same. Despite his harsh words, Kagome had seen the secret smiles he had shown towards his lord's ward, and his fierce protectiveness of her that went beyond his command. Annoying little imp, yes, but she would miss his indignant squawks as the children chased him down nonetheless.

Her thoughts ground to a halt when she thought of Sesshoumaru. The last year had been full of revelation and understanding towards the outwardly icy lord, and the new levels she had found had somehow only added to his intrigue and mystery. The intelligence he possessed was only rivaled by her own in the current era, where even knowing how to read was a feat. His boundless curiosity had led him to pursue philosophy and mathematics in a way that was unheard of on the planet in this age. Though he obviously had been through much more in his long life than Kagome would ever know, that knowledge alone was enough for her to form an understanding with him.

On first pass, a person would see a cold-hearted beast, an animal. Kagome admitted she herself had thought the same as she watched him in battle, that he seemed little more than an angry, albeit graceful and beautiful, monster. She remembered contemplating him in her early days traveling in the past, thinking of the juxtaposition of his beautiful exterior and the emotionless void of his soul. She had been a fool to judge on outward appearance. In her forced captivity, she had learned more than she had ever desired to know, and a respect and attachment had grown from there. Only in the recent few days had she come to realize how deep her affections had lain.

Of course she was not in love with him. She denied to herself even the possibility that she was falling for him, though her heart laughed at her obviously lackluster refutation. He was arrogant, snide, calculating, protective, intelligent, caring… she slapped herself mentally. No! This was what got herself into this mess! She could not fall for him!

She stifled a new string of sobs as she heaved herself to her feet on a twisted ankle that she had only just begun to feel the pain of. Dragging herself to a nearby tree, she reclined against it, the rain hardly alleviated by its boughs. Her soaked hair was plastered to her face, and her clothes were dripping in a newly formed puddle around her. All of this escaped her notice as she stared out at the clouded sky.

InuYasha had told her that he could be there if she ever needed him, and she closed her dark eyes and thought of him now. Had there been a time in the last year she really needed InuYasha, it was now. She scoffed at the thought that she would ask her former love, enemy of her current interest, and hateful brother for advice. Had it been any other moment, she might have giggled at the thought. It was hard for her to remember the bad times with InuYasha, or to even remember there had been bad times. It seemed like lifetimes ago.

The transition from the two of them being in love with one another to best friends had not been smooth. It was two and a half years ago that she had nearly gone home over it all. She remembered that night too clearly for her own heart. It was funny that now, years later, she hardly even thought of how bad it had been. Once they had called their truce that night almost exactly a year prior, she had just thrown the past heartache away. But now, that night in the rain, she dredged it up humorlessly.

* * *

_The sixteen year old Kagome ran for the bone eater's well, not caring that she left her bag behind. She just couldn't take it anymore! The insults, the degradation, the constant heartache… it was too much. Her seventeenth birthday was right around the corner, and that would make it a full two years she had spent in the past. She had sacrificed her chances of getting into a good college for this hunt, for _him_. But did he care?_

_Two years of pining after him, two years of watching him change between protective and loving to distant and cruel when there was the slightest chance of something changing between them. The agony was too much for her already fragile emotions. So she ran, disregarding the branches that lashed her skin and tugged at her hair, ignoring the burning in her eyes as her tears fell unnoticed and unchecked._

_When she reached the clearing that held the well, the setting sun cast an almost otherworldly glow over the stationary hanyou that was perched on the ancient wood. He stayed silent as she ground to a halt, her tousled hair with the twigs and leaves poking out of it ruffling in the breeze. When he stood and stepped towards her, she hadn't moved, just watched him approach and gather her into his arms._

_"Please, Kagome, don't leave," he'd whispered into her neck, sending chills over her body._

_The miko pushed back from him slightly, looking into his expressive golden eyes. "Why shouldn't I? You don't need me, you made that much clear! If Kikyou is _so_ much better than me, why not get her to hunt the shards? Why do you insist on throwing me into this, keeping me here? Do you like to see me suffer?"_

_He cringed visibly at this. "No, I don't. I don't know why I say the things I do to you! I just… ahh, damnit!" He stopped, turning from her and his ears drooped against his head. "I just… don't think. I guess that when I can't say what I want to, I just… say whatever else I can think of." He turned back to her, pleading with his eyes. "Don't go. I need you."_

_The tears falling down her cheeks steadily fell harder now as she looked at him. "How can I stay?" All her inhibitions of the previous years fell away as she looked at him, a grim sort of finality in her eyes. "I love you, InuYasha. I always have. But I can't stay here knowing you can't love me the way I love you." His poorly concealed shock made her bite out a hollow laugh. "You can't say you didn't know? Please! Even you're not _that_ thick."_

_His ears flattened at the insult. "No, I didn't know."_

_"Then now do you see why I can't stay? These last two years have been torment, and I can't do it anymore. My heart can't take it."_

_She stepped around his slumping form, walking the last few steps to the well and was about to step up when he grabbed her wrist and yanked her hard back to him. "No! You can't leave after you tell me that, wench! What the hell do you think you're doing?"_

_She shook her head in disbelief as she looked at the red-clad man in front of her, the purples and pinks of the sunset reflecting off his pale hair. "Why not?"_

_"Because…" he began harshly and audibly cut off whatever automatic retort he might have given, looking at the ground as he stood there, his grip on her wrist loosening enough for her hand to slide into his. "Because you- you don't understand! Do you have any idea how hard all of this is for me? After Mom died, I spent my entire life alone, and I didn't give a damn about anyone. Until Kikyou." Kagome's gaze fell at the mention of her predecessor, but she didn't move away as he continued. "She acted like she cared about me. She gave me hope for the first time in my life. No, we didn't trust each other, and you're right that she probably didn't love me, but I did love her. I didn't care that she wanted me to change for her, that she only wanted me to get out of her duty… I gave my heart to her. And I failed in my promise to protect her."_

_"But you couldn't have done anything!"_

_"Maybe, maybe not. Keh! Damnit woman, shut up, that's not the point. Other than my mother, did you know I have never trusted anyone in my life? Well, until you anyway."_

_Her face pinked at the admission, and her eyes stayed trained on their joined hands. She wondered on his unusual portrayal of emotion, and it was only slightly unnerving when she watched his hair fade to black as the sun sunk below the horizon. No wonder he was so unusually open._

_InuYasha looked up at the sky and sighed, his irritation at his human form obvious. "You showed me what real trust was, what real friendship was. As a hanyou, I am damned to a life of hatred, but because of you I have an entire group of people who I would kill for. But there's only two people in all the world I would die for. The only two people I've ever loved."_

_Her head shot up to meet his violet gaze, which showed her every thought he had and she shook her head but he cut her off before she could speak. "I can't give you what you want. I can never go against Kikyou so long as she walks this earth. No, she isn't exactly the same woman I loved, but she is still Kikyou. Because of that, I can't give you what you want me to - what I want to give you. But please, don't leave me."_

_She met his earnest stare and crumpled to her knees, sobbing in the pain and joy of revelation. He reached his arms around her shoulders and held her until she fell asleep in his arms, and he just watched the horizon until the sun rose once more hours later. He never slept on the nights of the new moon._

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The Kagome who sat in the pouring rain laughed in disdain, remembering that day. Gods, she had given up everything for him. That day though, that day had made it more bearable. The insults, the brash countenance... just knowing he loved her was enough to dull the ache. She still spent many nights crying, sobbing into Sango's kimono or walking with Miroku to vent her frustration, but she never again entertained thoughts of running away.

From then, she had started forcing her hope to fade. A foolish part of her mind hoped that Kikyou would just go in peace and fade away, but of course the vengeful bitch had stayed completely resolved in her need to take InuYasha. The only consolation was that they would get their revenge on Naraku first, before she took him away from the world of man. Kagome also thought with a rueful grin on the night one year prior when he had told her goodbye. It was the day she had finally made the decision they had both been too afraid to, forcing them to release even the foolish little inklings of hope they had of ever being together.

* * *

_"Took you long enough, wench," InuYasha scoffed from his perch, glaring down at the woman who he had only just that week gotten back from his brother._

_"I missed you too, InuYasha," she said with a teasing smile. He bristled; it was really aggravating that she knew him so well._

_"Keh!" he settled for, watching her settle on the grass and look out at the stars._

_"InuYasha? I need to talk to you."_

_He jumped down from his branch and eyed her warily. "What?"_

_She scowled. "Nothing…bad. Will you come sit by me?"_

_"Do I gotta?"_

_Her scowl was bridging on murderous and he unconsciously took a step back, his ears flattening. "Oi! Hey! Stop that! Fine, I'll sit!"_

_"Wow, I've never seen InuYasha so submissive," a little voice chirped from behind them._

_Kagome spun around to see Shippou, balanced on Miroku's shoulder and watching them with an amused grin, "Yes, Shippou, but then again, Kagome has always seemed to be the dominant one in the relationship…"_

_Kagome turned a furious shade of red and InuYasha made a show of shoving up his wide sleeves, "You bastards…"_

_"Sit, boy!"_

_InuYasha sputtered, the spell having worn off rather more quickly than usual. He stood and glared at their audience as Kagome spoke up. "Guys? Can you leave us alone? I need to talk to InuYasha."_

_Miroku flashed a lecherous grin and nodded. "Of course, Lady Kagome. Anything for you."_

_Her blush reappeared and she threw a rock at him, making Miroku laugh as he ran off back to camp. She sighed heavily and looked at the relaxing InuYasha with a small smile. "So, anyway, sit with me. This is kinda important."_

_InuYasha's wary look returned as he sat beside her, trying to make her meet his gaze. "What is it?"_

_"You know, I've been thinking a lot since the time I spent with Sesshou," Kagome started, fingers twisting.  
_

_InuYasha growled. "'Sesshou'," he mocked. "I don't wanna hear about that ninny!"_

_"It's not about him, idiot!"_

_"Then why are you talking about him?"_

_"Arg! I wasn't, if you would just shut up for a minute!"_

_"Keh!"_

_She breathed deeply and smoothed away her scowl. "As I was saying, since then, I've been thinking a lot. And I just… I realized that no matter how much it hurts, I have to let you go. I've been slowly doing it for years, but... we're being stupid. And it is only going to make things hurt more."_

_"W-what?" the hanyou interrupted. "You're gonna leave me?"_

_"No, InuYasha. Let me finish, would you?" She sighed and laid back in the grass. "You know how I feel about you. I know how you wish you could feel about me. And we both know it's hopeless. It only makes it worse for me to let myself hope for the impossible. I can't keep loving you like I have all these years. I will always love you as my best friend, the closest person I've ever had in my life, but I have to stop dreaming my silly dreams. Shooting stars can only grant so much."_

_InuYasha, who had stayed uncharacteristically silent through her speech, met her eyes now. He smiled with infinite sadness. "I understand. While you were… gone…" He refused to acknowledge where she had been. "I finally told Kikyou I would go with her. When Naraku has been defeated, I'm going to go to hell with her, so she can finally rest."_

_Tears filled Kagome's eyes and she smiled tumultuously. "I wish you wouldn't. Even if I can never have you, I wish you would live."_

_"There would be no real life for me if I didn't give her this peace, Kagome."_

_"I know. It just hurts to know I'll someday lose you."_

_InuYasha leaned down over her prone form, and kissed her without hesitation. Their lips met softly, and with minimal coaxing she opened her mouth to his and they exchanged a breath-stealingly long kiss, their tongues meeting in a long and unabashed farewell to a love that was never meant to be. It was the first kiss they had ever shared, and she felt her heart sink knowing it would be the last as well. When he released his claim on her mouth he leaned his forehead to hers. "I'll always be here for you, Kagome, even death can't take me away. I… I love you."_

_To hear him say it broke the last of her reserve, and she sobbed into the rough material of his haori, fingers wrapped tight in his sleeves. "I love you too, InuYasha."_

_He gathered her into his arms, and they fell asleep together that way, only waking when the first rays of morning touched their dew covered forms. The end of what once was. The finale to their Feudal Fairytale. The start of a new day. The beginning of a new life._


	11. Beautiful

Disclaimer: No own. No interweb. No life. -sob-

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 11 - Beautiful_

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Sesshoumaru was seething. The beautiful, pristine youkai lord was currently sopping wet, his long hair stuck to his clothing as he searched in a late-spring thunderstorm for a girl who naturally smelt like a spring storm. He'd thought she was only going to run out and collect her bearings, so he'd let her go. But when the minutes passed without her return, his naturally protective nature had kicked in and he _had_ to know where she'd gone.

So, tracking by scent was out. The heavy rain made his already hardly passable eyesight void, so all he had to go on was his extraordinary hearing. And between the raindrops and the thunder, it was becoming more and more clear to him that it was going to be a very long night.

Not very far from the annoyed Sesshoumaru, Kagome sat against the tree still awake. The clouds she was watching parted just slightly, allowing a peek at the waxing crescent moon and a few stars that surrounded it.

She glared at her traitorous ankle, which throbbed angrily and prevented her from trudging her way back to the cave. She wondered why Sesshoumaru hadn't come to find her yet. Maybe he had realized how stupid he had been being in wanting her and decided to leave her to the elements? No. He was too noble for that. She looked around at the rain and realized he was probably just having a hard time finding her. Dogs weren't known for their eyesight, though his was better than any humans', so with both eyes and nose discounted all he had was aura and sound.

She extended her own senses outward, searching, only to find him rather close by. She sighed out loud and waited for him to find her. She couldn't say she didn't want him to, though she was still upset from earlier.

Sesshoumaru scowled as he felt the faint brush of Holy power against him, tingling in a barely-pleasant way. Why hadn't be thought to just look for her power? What was it about this damned woman that made him so frantic? He dashed towards her, finding her even more dripping wet than he was and obviously in pain.

"What did you do?"

She laughed without humor. "Twisted my ankle."

"Why did you run?"

"To get away."

"From… me?"

"From myself, I think, but yeah, you as well."

Sesshoumaru said no more as he dipped down, pushing his right arm around her back and commanding his pelt to wrap around her knees in place of his missing arm. For all that it was soft it was still a weapon, and therefore not very gentle, but it would be a lot less jarring on her ankle to be carried this way.

Kagome leaned against his somehow-dry haori and sighed, trying to ignore the painful constriction around her legs. Shivers jarred her from her dozing, and she was thankful that they were nearly back to the cave. She had run farther than she thought she had. When they arrived inside, Jaken glared at her disapprovingly before Sesshoumaru settled her next to her backpack and the small dwindling fire.

Kagome threw another log into the flames, hoping to make the heat increase to quell the violent shivers that were coursing through her. She dug through her bag for clean clothes, and swore at herself for not packing more warm clothing. She settled on a navy tank top and flannel sleeping pants, glaring at the two awake males. "Could you guys turn around so I can change?"

Jaken began to sputter his indignation, before his lord silenced him with an icy glare. The two obeyed, leaving Kagome to wrestle herself out of the dripping wet and clinging articles of clothing. It took twice as long as it usually would have, but she eventually was decent and told the men they could turn back around. She moved around the fire a bit to a dry spot, leaving her wet clothing to dry where she had been and hobbled along the cave wall to the entrance, where she wrung out her long hair.

She sighed again looking at the children; she had given them both blankets for the cold night, thinking she would have her sweater to keep her sufficiently warm. She cursed mentally and slowly limped her way back to the fire, curling up on the cold stone floor beside it and lulling herself into a fitful doze.

* * *

When she awoke, Kagome was sore all over, her head was filled with cotton and large, very mean hammers, and her body felt like it was suddenly made of bricks - but boy, was she warm! She sighed and snuggled into the buoyant source of said comfort, before her curiosity got the better of her. She cracked open one eye, which was a very painful endeavor, to find herself encased in a white, furry hell. It took several moments of contemplation on her sleep-soaked mind to realize she was entangled rather happily in Sesshoumaru's fluffy pelt-thing.

She grinned despite her discomforts and buried her face in it, inhaling the scent that was distinctly Sesshoumaru. She couldn't describe it as anything but masculine. It was incredibly alluring… she growled quietly at herself. Nope, she would not be going back to that thought train.

She pulled her head out of her personal cloud to gaze around at the morning activities. She tried to sit up but only succeeded in releasing a loud moan of pain as her body revolted. The very mean hammers in her head suddenly picked up the beat, making her temples and the backs of her eyes throb. She glimpsed silver hanging over her through mostly shut eyes.

"Do not try to move, your foolishness of last night acquired you a fever. Rest, we will be departing for the House of the Moon soon."

"How will I travel?" she croaked out, her throat burning with the effort.

"This Sesshoumaru will carry you and will put a barrier around ourselves and Ah-Uh to keep dry. I was planning to wait until the rain lessened before we left, but now we will leave immediately."

"Thank you Sesshou. I'm… I'm sorry for running off…" She knew better than to question him, and she trusted him completely with her, so she dozed back off without another thought, lost in the amazing scent surrounding her.

Sesshoumaru watched as her breathing regulated with a silent sigh. He admitted, if only to himself, that he was worried. Humans were so… fragile. Sickness killed so many every year. He knew that in Kagome's time this was not the case with simple fevers, but this was not her time. He wondered if she had any of the 'antibiotics' she had told him helped with healing illness. When she awoke next he would ask.

For now he settled the children on Ah-Un, ignoring their cries about Kagome's welfare, and gathered the fevered woman into his arm gently. He turned in the direction of his home, his odd pack in tow.

* * *

When Kagome woke up, it was dark. She groaned at the feeling in her head, but otherwise felt much better. She remembered at some point having woken to Sesshoumaru asking her if she had any antibiotics, which she did, and she had taken a dosage of amoxycilin before falling once more into sleep.

She stretched out her sore muscles and looked to her right, seeing the beautiful white form of her friend beside her bed, slumped, obviously asleep. She giggled silently; she had yet to ever see him sleep. She was glimpsing his face truly relaxed for the first time. His head was drooped, his lips parted slightly as he breathed. "Beautiful," she whispered in awe, reaching out to push a few long liquid silk locks back behind his ear.

As soon as her fingers brushed the pointed appendage his clawed hand had a vice grip on her wrist; she hadn't even seen him move! His eyelids fluttered open and golden eyes focused on the sapphire ones that were smiling at him gently.

"You are awake," he said more softly than usual.

"As are you."

If he had been anyone but Sesshoumaru, Kagome thought he might have blushed. "Yes. I apologize."

"Don't apologize for sleeping, its only natural."

"But I should not have."

Kagome rolled her eyes and pulled her hand out of his grip, settling back on the bed. A loud rumble announced her stomach's current thoughts and she laughed. "I think I might be hungry."

"I'll go find a servant."

He left the room in a swish of his robes, leaving Kagome to stare out at the starlit night. It looked to be barely dark, so it was still rather early. She tried to sit up, and in her struggles didn't hear the shoji door knock open.

"Kagome!"

Kagome's eyes softened and locked on the two children who had squealed in unison. "Well hello there. How are you?"

Shippou perched on her lap and Rin stood behind her, her arms locked round her neck. "We're fine, Kagome," Shippou said as he practically burrowed into her. "You were asleep so long!"

"Yes, you were! Rin was afraid you weren't going to wake up, and Lord Sesshoumaru would not let Rin and Shippou come see you!"

Kagome looked back at the little girl. "How long was I sleeping?"

"Ten days! But Lord Sesshoumaru did not leave your side the whole time, so Rin knew when Rin saw him that you must be awake!"

Kagome blushed furiously as she hugged the children again and pushed herself up to stand, her legs stiff but usable. The children dashed from the room, informing her that they had made drawings for her with Shippou's crayons while she was unconscious. Kagome plopped back onto her futon_, _a bit stunned that Sesshoumaru had stayed with her. A servant would have been fine, but he had chosen to be with her. It made warmth bloom in her chest.

She smiled a little at that thought, and was still staring at the floor with a smile when Sesshoumaru returned, tray of food in hand. Her head snapped up to him, wonder in her eyes. "You… you stayed with me? And now you're bringing me food?"

Sesshoumaru sniffed and looked away, setting the food on a small bedside table. He turned to the door. "If you are well enough, breakfast will be announced in the morning. You should eat and sleep."

Kagome nodded at his back and watched him leave, sliding the door closed. She nibbled the rice and sipped at the tea she was given, placating her rebellious stomach. The children returned after a while, giving her gifts of flowers and drawings before a servant came to tuck them into bed. Kagome stayed staring at the increasingly dark night for a while before drifting back into the strong arms of slumber, surrounded by the beautiful room she had chosen during her original stay in the House of the Moon.

* * *

Breakfast was pleasant the next morning, the children happy to have Kagome back to share their meals. After a filling meal, Kagome followed them out into the gardens to watch them play. They tried to coax her into a game of tag with them, but she declined. She was feeling much better, but she didn't want to press her luck. She sat in the mid-morning sun and sighed happily as she watched them, a small smile drifting onto her face.

Sesshoumaru found her this way, and sat beside her to watch the children in silence. She looked... beautiful, though he couldn't bring himself to say so aloud. She was dressed in a dark violet kimono that portrayed a large crescent moon on its back. He liked to see her marked with the insignia of his house. He watched her in silence, the sunlight playing off her hair and cheeks. But, of course, any silence with Kagome is short-lived. "It's a beautiful day."

"Hn," he agreed, not taking his eyes off her.

"When do you think we'll start out again?"

Sesshoumaru looked at her from the corner of his eye. "When you are well enough."

"And when will that be?" she asked, slightly exasperated.

"When this Sesshoumaru feels you are."

Kagome scoffed. "So sorry, _Lord _Sesshoumaru."

"No insult was meant. I just do not wish for you to become ill again."

She had the good sense to look abashed and nodded, silence falling over them again. She was feeling antsy, and she wanted to do _something_ other than just sit uselessly. Not for the first time, she missed the internet and said as much.

"Internet?"

"Mm. Remember computers?"

"Hn," he replied, though he didn't understand the concept in the slightest.

"Well, the internet is like, a database… like a library of information, any information you can imagine wanting to know, and you can access it all from a computer. If I had it right now, I would be entertained."

"This Sesshoumaru is not entertaining?"

Kagome stifled a giggle. "No. No offense meant, of course, but no, you are not entertaining. You are rather anti-entertaining." Sesshoumaru sniffed, insulted, and looked away, making her giggles escalate. "Oh don't be that way! I just mean, you know, you're peaceful, quiet. Entertainment is meant to… well… entertain. Excite. Something I don't think you are capable of."

Sesshoumaru didn't respond, he simply looked away in lieu of retort.

She sighed and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Sesshou, don't be mad at me. I don't mean it in a bad way. It's just not who you are, is all. But hey, I like you this way anyway, most of the time, though you could stand to be more talkative."

He chuckled soundlessly. "Yes, I suppose I could. But then, that would be unlike me as well, would it not?"

"I suppose you're right." She was silent for many long minutes, and Sesshoumaru stood to return inside when her hand grabbing his stopped him. "Sesshou? Can I ask you a favor?"

"Cease calling me that and I will consider."

"Oh, poo! You like it and you know it."

He smirked down at her. "Ask your favor."

"When I… go…" she looked away, dropping his hand, "Would you…I mean, I know it's a lot to ask but… would you watch after Shippou for me? I would ask Sango and Miroku, but they'll be gone in another forty years or so. I know you are a good protector and… a great father. I see you with Rin and I know you would be good to him."

He looked down on her for a long moment before nodding to the top of her head. "I will."

She smiled up at him and jumped to her feet, her arms wrapped around his middle in a hug. "Thank you, Sesshou."

Sesshoumaru ignored her use of his name and wrapped his arm around her, returning the affection. They stayed that way for many long moments before someone cleared their throat.

"Sorry to… interrupt, but I just thought this might be of interest to you."

Kagura stood behind them, an impatient look on her pretty face, and in her hand, nearly a third of the Shikon Jewel.


	12. Fang

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

**7/26/2010 - I give up on trying to fix my awful POV issues. I'll still poke at it, but in some cases I wouldn't be able to fix it without overhauling scenes, and I just don't have the passion for this fic to do so. Ugh, how much 5 years changes.**

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* * *

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 12 - Fang_

* * *

A few days later, Kagome was deemed healthy enough for travel. With two-thirds of the Shikon Jewel complete, it was decided the children should stay at the House of the Moon because the draw of rogue youkai would be much stronger now. Kagome gave tearful goodbyes to the little ones, silently praying this would not be the last time she saw them, before heading out. Sure, she could be riding Kagura's feather boat, but Sesshoumaru saw fit for her to travel with him on his youki cloud, leaving her in very close quarters with the demon lord.

Kagura trailed a bit behind them with a sad scowl. It was fairly obvious where the youkai lord's attention laid, and though she was disappointed, she could not help but see the difference in him when he was with the little miko. The previously ice-encased lord was melting slowly; he actually spoke in conversations with the human! It was nothing short of astounding. Kagura once again shook her head in thought over the mortal girl who was obviously one of a kind.

This simple girl who, for a year, Kagura saw as nothing but the reincarnation of her master's human heart's love, had turned out to be so much more. As her spiritual power grew, meeting then exceeding Kikyou's own, so did her heart it seemed. It was feat enough that she befriended a hanyou, but then to take a youkai child and care for it as her own, have several demon suitors, and to actually forgive a former enemy… she was truly not of this world. Kagura knew the girl's origins were of some far-off place, but she had to wonder what kind of a place it was to have produced such a pure soul.

Though she had witnessed the simple conversations between Sesshoumaru and the girl, and had seen the two embracing, it seemed their relationship was purely platonic. On the surface at least. But the wind youkai was observant, and she saw the poorly veiled looks exchanged, the longing and tension between them, and wondered why they were not more. Surely the Ice Price was no chicken.

A slow grin crossed over the wind sorceress's face at the prospect of some matchmaking. If she couldn't have the gorgeous specimen, she would at least make sure he didn't go to waste. Because now that his sights were set on Kagome, she was sure that if he could not have her he wouldn't have another.

* * *

Kagome nursed a burnt finger after a run in with a youkai barrier, sucking on the offended digit with a pout. She sighed and pulled out an arrow, glancing at the amused faces of her comrades before sticking out her tongue and focusing her holy energy into the arrow tip. It flared to life and she fired it into the barrier; it immediately crumbled and faded out of existence.

"You know, I can't get over your holy energy being used to help me rather than to deal me damage…" Kagura said with a small laugh.

"Hn," Sesshoumaru agreed, his amused eyes sparkling at the miko. She glared at them again and slung her bow over her shoulder.

"Well, at least I'm doing something useful for once. You know I have only had to actually _participate_ in one battle since I started traveling with Mr. Perfect over here?"

Kagura giggled and fell into step beside Kagome. "Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"I suppose…" Kagome trailed off, looking away to hide her slight scowl. She hated feeling useless.

"Can you still feel the Shikon Shard?" Kagura inquired.

"Mm, yes, this way."

The threesome trudged onwards, through a dense bamboo forest that was looking more and more like a maze with every turn. Kagome was trotting along, humming a little tune under her breath and totally oblivious to her surroundings when she was suddenly flattened by a silver and white streak of light. Her head smacked the ground hard, making her moan aloud as she tried to focus her eyes. Above her… well, lying on top of her… was Sesshoumaru, who was now growling silently in the direction of a newly destroyed section of the bamboo hell they were in. She could feel the vibration of his chest.

Her eyes met with his and she smiled meekly and ashamedly, realizing how badly an explosion like that could have been for her. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru."

He didn't respond as he quickly leapt upright and drew Toukijin, glaring into the settling dust. She, too, stood, readying an arrow and sending out her aura. It was a single, quite powerful youkai, and it had... two shards?

"Sesshou, it has two shards!"

"Hn," he grunted, waiting for it to show itself. The scent was familiar somehow, but not familiar enough for him to know immediately its owner.

"Ah, pup, how good to see you," a low bass chortled. Stepping from a clump of bamboo stalks, the figure was revealed. He was at least seven feet tall, and about half that wide. He lumbered forward with a sickly grin, and Kagome saw one shard in the huge youkai's neck, another at his side.

"One's in his neck, the other is in his sword."

"Give over the shards, Houran, and I will not be forced to remove them."

The massive youkai rumbled out a laugh, "You would fight me, pup? Your father would be disappointed in you. Then again, perhaps not. I had heard you were traveling with a human, but a miko to boot? You are surely not following in your father's sordid footsteps and considering taking a _human_ as your mate, are you? I'll admit she looks tasty, though…"

Sesshoumaru's scowl deepened, and he leapt at the youkai without further adieu. Out of nowhere appeared two lesser bear youkai, both immediately going after Kagome.

"Good job, pets, go get me more of the sacred jewel!"

Kagome raised her bow and focused on the nearest youkai, firing off a brightly flaring arrow into its chest, dissolving the beast on contact. The other had gotten to close though, and Kagome wasn't able to get out another arrow before it had toppled her over, raising a massive paw to strike her.

"Dance of Blades!" Kagura yelled, and the bear was lifted off of her by a disgusted looking Kagura. "I hate bear youkai. They smell disgusting. Worse than wolves, even."

Kagome let out a weak laugh and jumped to her feet, watching Sesshoumaru duel one-on-one with the larger greater demon. He obviously couldn't risk any flashy moves in such close quarters, or he would have finished the fight already. Sesshoumaru hated fighting like this, where he had to keep Kagome's welfare in mind with every strike. It was too covered for Kagura to be able to fly them out, and too dense to allow proper use of his whip. It was down to just Toukijin and Houran's blade, which was empowered with a Shikon shard.

"Is this the best you can do, pup? You are nothing compared to the Great Inu no Taisho!"

"I do not need to explain my actions to you, bear."

His adversary growled and brought down his blade with all his force onto Sesshoumaru, who barely had time to bring up Toukijin. His eyes widened just a fraction as he was pushed back minutely, and he felt his blade cracking under the pressure. '_Still just a demon's fang…'_ he thought ruefully.

"I don't think so!" he heard Kagome shout, and the bear hardly had time to react when her arrow struck him in the neck, instantly purifying him out of existence. Kagome heaved a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness!"

Sesshoumaru scowled at her, but couldn't bring himself to be upset over her interference. She usually stayed out of encounters, so he would allow once to pass unnoticed. He looked down at the smoking Toukijin and glowered at it. The crack wasn't much, but it would be a hindrance. Kagome arrived as he was scrutinizing his blade. "That's not good… you should take it to Toutosai!"

He frowned at her. "The old man will do nothing for this Sesshoumaru. He is afraid."

"Well, he likes me, so maybe if I ask nicely he'll fix it!"

"Hn." He couldn't deny the wisdom in seeking the senile old man out, and raised his shoulders in a barely noticeable shrug. "Then let us depart. We are less than a day from his cave."

The three of them trekked out of the bamboo forest after Kagome had retrieved the shards and Sesshoumaru's arm snaked around her waist once more. They traveled in relative silence, only occasional moans of discomfort from Kagome because of her headache. She had hit the ground rather hard twice, it was no wonder. Kagura went to a nearby village to ask about Shikon Shard rumors, leaving the two to continue in silence.

When they arrived at Toutosai's mountain, Sesshoumaru concealed his aura so the geezer wouldn't run off before they even got there. Kagome's headache was lessening, which she was thankful for since Toutosai tended to give her one anyway.

As they landed in front of the cave, the old swordsmith was standing in front of them doing a good impression of a fish as he gaped at the Lord of the Western Lands. MouMou, his three eyed bull, stood with his head cocked at Kagome and 'moo'ed in greeting, which she returned with a smile.

"Hi there Toutosai!" she said cheerily, tearing the youkai's attention off Sesshoumaru.

"Ah! Kagome! What are you doing here? Didja trade in brothers?"

She scowled but her look went sad immediately. "InuYasha is dead."

With a confused look, the sword smith stuck a finger in his ear. "What? What did you say? I thought you said he was dead!"

"He is," Sesshoumaru said simply, making Toutosai jump.

"Oh… where's Tessaiga then?"

"He took it with him to hell," she said quietly, before looking up with resolve. "That isn't why we're here, though. We need you to fix Toukijin for Sesshoumaru, it was cracked in a battle this morning."

"Eh?"

Kagome clenched her fists at her sides and smiled a sickeningly sweet smile at him. "Please, Toutosai, I would appreciate it a lot. Sesshoumaru is helping me to collect the Shikon Shards, and he is my friend."

The old youkai looked at her incredulously and back at the stone face of her companion with a gulp. "Well, lemme look at it."

Sesshoumaru, with promises to refrain from abusing the old man, entered the cave while Kagome waited outside, looking out at the sky. It was times like this she missed InuYasha the most. Being somewhere she hadn't been since his death, around someone who she had only ever seen with him by her side. She moaned sadly until she was ripped from her thoughts by a prick on her neck.

She slapped hard, flattening Myouga, who squeaked sadly. "M'lady Kagome, it is so good to taste you again!"

"Hello, Myouga, what brings you here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Lady Kagome!"

"I am here trying to convince Toutosai to fix Toukijin for Sesshou."

"Se-Se-Sesshou?" Myouga squawked. "As in Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes, he is now traveling with me so I can collect the shards. He is my friend."

"Ah. My condolences about Lord InuYasha. He is missed."

"Thank you, Myouga. So, why are you up here?"

"I was just coming to check on Toutosai, since he cannot seem to keep himself out of trouble."

Kagome snickered. "You mean he cant remember what he's doing long enough to not get in trouble?"

"That too."

"Well, I'll escort you in. I should make sure Sesshoumaru isn't being too cruel to Toutosai anyway."

"You seem rather… familiar with Lord Sesshoumaru, if I may say so?"

"It's not a problem. We're friends, we have been for a year now. Since InuYasha's… passing, he offered to help me in my duty."

"Ah, I see."

They entered the cave to find the swordsmith brandishing his favorite tool - the pliers he used for tooth extraction. His face was set in a rather amused smirk as he approached a glaring Sesshoumaru, whose fingertips were glowing green.

Kagome ran to his side immediately, grabbing his poison tipped hand to make him calm down. "Hey, Sesshou! Isn't it nice that old man Toutosai will help?"

Sesshoumaru turned and scowled down at her. "Hn."

"Come on, take it like a man. You aren't afraid you get your fang taken out, are you?"

The scowl deepened. "It will be back by nightfall."

"Then see? Tough it out."

He knew she was goading him to keep his wrath off Toutosai and found it amusing, though irritating. He opened his mouth for the now-jolly old youkai and didn't even flinch as the fang was removed.

"Just come back in the morning and it'll be done." Toutosai groaned sadly, obviously disappointed that he got no reaction from the Taiyoukai.

As Sesshoumaru exited silently, Kagome bowed to the old man. "Thank you very much, Toutosai. I'll bring him back in the morning."

As she ran out to catch her friend, two very perplexed youkai were left behind. "She's softened him already," Myouga commented.

"Yeah, we might get him back to normal before we know it."

"She'll be leaving soon, though."

"How do you know that?"

"Intuition. Now, why did you need Sesshoumaru's fang? You could have repaired it without it."

"I have plans for most of the fang, I'll just use a bit to repair Toukijin at the same time."

"Plans?"

"Huh? Plans? Did I say that?"

* * *

When dawn broke, Sesshoumaru was eager, in his own way, to check on his new weapon. Now it would not be a simple demon's fang, just as Tessaiga ceased simply being his father's fang when Inuyasha's was added to it. Goshinki had been powerful, but now his own power would be added as well. He awoke Kagome rather abruptly, knowing he could not deal with the swordsmith on his own.

Kagome was awoken as she was set on her feet. She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "What the heck?"

"It is morning."

"Really, genius?" she snapped, shaking her head. "Well, I'm up now, so let's hurry and go."

They trekked the short distance between where they had camped and Toutosai's cave in silence, Kagome still seething from her rude awakening. The old man was devouring a large amount of crispy food as the entered, whole, making Kagome's face turn slightly green.

"My sword, old man."

Toutosai looked over and yelped, backing against the wall. "Eh? Sesshoumaru?"

"You said my sword would be done this morning."

"Did I say that?" Sesshoumaru's fist made contact with the old demon's head, making tears run down his face. "So disrespectful to your elders!"

"Tou-to-sai!" Kagome said in a slow, growling rage, her eyes filled with fire and her aura snapping around her rather painfully for the two youkai.

"Ahh! Alright! Jeez, I think she's scarier than you are when she's mad, Sesshoumaru."

"Hn," Sesshoumaru said in agreement, eyeing Kagome a little warily.

Toutosai pulled out Toukijin, grimacing. "I hate this sword. This is the only time I'll fix it, I had to argue with it half the night."

"…Argue?" Kagome asked, her brows raised.

"Uh-huh."

She shrugged and watched Sesshoumaru examine the newly repaired blade. "It is acceptable. It does not appear much stronger, though. Why is this?"

"Aa!" Toutosai chirped, pulling out a smaller sheath and presenting it to Kagome. She took it with wonder and extracted the long dagger. The handle was made purely of jade; it was beautiful! The blade was curved in a nasty way, and it was perfectly balanced.

"What's this for?"

"I thought you could use a weapon. After all, a bow and arrows will only get you so far."

Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow. "So you used my fang for this instead, did you?"

Toutosai, for the first time met his gaze. Kagome did not understand the silent conversation they had, but apparently Toutosai's reasoning was acceptable.

"All right. Come, Kagome."

"Um, okay? Thank you, Toutosai. I hope to see you soon!"

She dashed out after Sesshoumaru, still fascinated by her new toy. She giggled and ran her fingers over the sheath with wonder. It was hers! A little fang all her own. Well, Sesshoumaru's, but still! She smiled brightly at it; she would have a piece of him even when she had to go home. She liked that thought more than she was willing to admit.

"You didn't mind, Sesshou?"

"No."

"Wow, I'm glad, This is gorgeous!"

His only reaction was a tiny quirk of his lips. "You should strap it somewhere you can get to it easily, but still hidden. It will be your last defense if something gets closer than your arrows can assist you. You should also consider training with withdrawing it quickly. You do not need finesse, only instant reaction."

"Hmm…" she said, and settled for attaching it to her belt loop for the time being.

The day went on uneventfully, and now camp was sent and Kagome was staring at the nearly completed Shikon Jewel with a sad look. She would be leaving so soon… perhaps as soon as a week or two. Then she would lose everything. She bit her lip in sadness and regret, looking over the fire at a meditating Sesshoumaru. Every day she was near him since _that_ night she had felt her heart flutter every time she looked his way. The kiss, then his devoted care while she was ill… it made her ache to know it could never be even given a chance. She looked back into the fire. Midoriko had been wrong: fate was crueler than she had ever expected.


	13. Matchmaker

Disclaimer: Nothing has changed in the last two hours.

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* * *

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 13 - Matchmaker_

* * *

Sunlight made her eyes water as she blinked the sleep from her heavy eyes, trying to come to terms with the knowledge that it was, in fact, late in the morning. With a moan Kagome rolled over to see Sesshoumaru looking back at her, flawless amber eyes watching her unblinking. She smiled her good morning and sat up, stretching out her arms and listening to her joints pop in relief.

"Why'd ya let me sleep so late?" she said with another yawn, trying to make her body catch up with her.

"You appeared tired."

She smiled. "Thanks, but now I think I overslept. My back is killing me!" She moaned as she stood, trying to massage out the kinks in her lower back. Before she could even open her eyes she found herself set gently back on the ground, this time on her stomach, with a single strong hand pushing deep up the length of her back. She moaned and arched into his touch.

He ran his hand across the length of her back a few times, smoothing the kinks and knots, digging into a few particularly dense areas. She continued her chorus of gasps and contented moans, and Sesshoumaru had to bite back a smirk when he smelt Kagura approaching with curiosity in her aura. He skillfully ran his hand up to her neck and ran his fingers across the base of her skull, making her head go limp with another punctuating whimper from her before Kagura walked into the clearing with an amused look on her face.

"You know, miko, with all the noise you were making I thought I was going to walk in on a very different scene."

Kagome yanked away shot to her feet, her face a painful puce as she muttered about needing to wash up. As she walked and her embarrassment lessened, she reveled in how wonderful her back felt. Sesshoumaru had many hidden talents.

"I wonder how much better that would be if he had both hands…" she wondered aloud.

"Hmm, I'm content to imagine what _else _he could do with those hands," a voice responded, and Kagome practically spun into Kagura, who was watching her again-blushing face with amusement. "Come on, you know you've thought of it."

"I promise, I haven't!" Kagome replied indignantly, busying herself in the stream. She splashed her face, trying to cool her flaming cheeks.

"Ah, it's a pity. I was hoping you'd find out and tell me."

Kagome looked at the wind witch as if she'd grown a second head. "What?" she squeaked out.

"I wanted him for my own for years, but I can see where his heart is. Don't worry, I'm not competition."

Kagome paled quite noticeably, considering the shades of red she had invented in the previous few minutes. "Nothing is going on between us. He's just my friend."

"Uh huh."

"I'm serious!"

"Sure you are."

Kagome huffed, "We are! We can't be anything else, because I'm leaving once the jewel is complete, for good." Her righteous posturing vanished. "Forever…" she whispered.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"I don't _want_ to."

"Then why are you?"

"Because…" she sighed, "because of my wish on the Shikon Jewel. I brought them back to life with it, you know and, I promised Midoriko I would collect the shards and then go back to my time, for good. It was the only way."

"Your… time?" Kagura said in disbelief.

Kagome let out a little laugh. "Yeah. It doesn't matter who knows now, I guess. I am from five hundred years in the future, from a huge city where Edo is now. There are millions of humans who live there; humans, not youkai. Youkai are nothing but myths in my time. I thought they were just a fairytale until I came here."

Kagura was silent for a long few moments. "Well, that certainly explains a lot. How do you know youkai don't exist though? We're rather clever at hiding, you know."

"I know, but I've never felt youki, and InuYasha never smelt one, either. As much as I would like to imagine you guys could be alive in my time… I just don't see how."

"Well, hold out hope. Who knows? Maybe when you go back, Sesshoumaru and I will be waiting for you," she grinned mischievously and Kagome tossed a twig at her playfully, but with sad eyes.

"So do you see why I can't? I can't just pin my hopes on this. I could fall for him so easily, but there's so much between us that's wrong. I'm human, he's youkai. Now, I don't care personally, but the lifespan difference is harsh. I would age and become old and ugly, while he stayed pristine and perfect. I think I would resent him, and he would be disgusted by me. Then, there's the five hundred year gap… a lot can happen in that time, even if he is alive! He could find a thousand youkai women more worthy than some strange girl from the future."

"Youkai are different, Kagome. Once we choose, we don't just give it up."

Kagome sighed and laid on the stream's bank, "There's more, though. He's… so perfect, that it feels he has to be a dream. Yeah, he has a few… quirks I could do without, but when I look at him, I see damn near perfection, and that's a scary thought. Because I am far from perfect. I guess I just can't see what he sees in me."

Kagura shook her head at the girl. So young. "Silly human. Don't you get it? You've fallen farther than you think you have if you look at him that way. Trust me, he's far from perfect. And he's already long gone, I can see it when he looks at you."

Kagome blushed. "It's too much, Kagura."

"Well, look at it this way, then. What do you want in a man?"

Kagome sat up slightly. "I want… someone I can lose myself in for hours. I need to be able to have real conversations with him, and I need him to challenge me. And… this sounds silly, but I want someone who will argue with me and not think there's something horribly wrong in our relationship. He has to be able to stand up to me. And I can't let the guy be boring. But that's where the biggest problem is! After living here, where I fight demons and save lives, everything in my age is boring! No one there but my mom, brother, and grandfather know of my time here. So its like I'm on a totally different plane of existence from the guys there."

"All the more reason for you to look into the existence of youkai. If any of us are alive, then you'll have people to share it with."

"Mm. I guess you're right. I just… I don't think the guy I want exists," the miko said, raising herself to her feet.

"Well, just to point out what should be obvious to you, you realize you described the dog lord, don't you?"

Kagome halted in mid-rise, her eyes widening. She was right. She had. That crushed her a little. "I did, didn't I?"

"Mmhm."

"But I still have to go home. Now it just… hurts more."

Kagura frowned and put an arm around Kagome's shoulder. "Hey, I didn't want that. Cheer up, at least you know he's out there, huh?"

Kagome smiled just a little. "Mm, you're right."

"Come on, let's get back to camp, I'm sure the Ice Prince is getting impatient."

"I'm sure you're right."

Golden eyes which had been observing in the treetops turned and dashed away, settling back into his previous meditative position before the duo arrived back. He smirked, unable to hold it back. Yes, he'd have his miko, he would definitely see to that.

* * *

Rin danced around the garden, singing softly to her flowers. As she grew, she only took more interest in tending the plants, rather than less. She was a whole ten years old now, and she was much more capable of taking care of her beautiful flowers.

Shippou had been silent for a while, so she pranced towards his sullen form. "Shippou, what is wrong?"

The fox looked up at her sadly. "I was just thinking… that I might never see Kagome again."

"Of course you will, silly! Lord Sesshoumaru will bring her back!"

Shippou shook his head. "No, it won't be his choice. You don't know where Kagome is from, do you?"

"Umm, Lord Jaken says she's from a far-off place."

"Yep, but not, like, across the ocean. She's from a long, long time in the future."

Rin's eyes went large. "Wow!"

"Yeah. But once she gets all the pieces of the jewel, she has to go to her time again and leave me here."

Rin flinched and looked up with tear-filled brown eyes. "She won't stay with Lord Sesshoumaru and Rin?"

"She can't."

Rin sniffed and shook her head, "You'll see her again, Shippou. Rin knows you will. You are a youkai, right? You live a long time."

Shippou smiled a little. "Hey, yeah! You're right!"

Rin giggled a little sadly and looked away, plucking a lily with a smile. "If she doesn't come back, and you get to see her in the future, will you tell her that Rin thought she was a good mother? Because… she was like one for a little while. Rin knows she's _your_ mother, but… Rin would have liked a mother like her, too."

Shippou snuggled against his playmate. "I'll tell her, for sure."


	14. Superiority

Disclaimer: No own.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 14 - Superiority_

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There were no jewel shard leads in the village Kagura had perused, but she had bought herself a new kimono... if "bought" was synonymous with "bullied a merchant out of it", at least. She smiled at the black and green material as she flew along behind Sesshoumaru and Kagome. Since that morning, she had seen the looks that the youkai lord was giving the miko; Kagura was suspicious that he had been eavesdropping. That would be beneath him, of course, but love could make a person do funny things.

They were currently on their way back to the House of the Moon because Kagome wanted had left behind something and was afraid of not being able to come back later to retrieve it. Sesshoumaru had agreed, so now they were flying back to the west. The duo was chatting about something called 'college' up ahead; apparently Kagome was planning to do this… whatever it was. Kagura was unsure.

When they had halted in their forward motion, Kagura became aware of a fast moving youki closing in on them. She pulled out her fan defensively, but Kagome shook her head with a dejected look on her face.

"Umm... Sesshoumaru? Lower me please."

"Why?"

"This youki… it's Kouga."

"What business do you have with the Eastern prince?"

She sighed and tugged his sleeve. "Long story, but he's my friend. And if I'm going to keep him from starting a fight with Kagura, I have to intercept him. He won't even notice her if he's distracted by me."

"Hn." He reluctantly agreed. Kagura smiled inwardly that Kagome was once again going out of her way to 'protect' her. Sure, she didn't need it, but it was a nice sentiment. She would somehow find a way to repay her, if it was the last thing she did.

As soon as Kagome's feet touched the ground, Kouga appeared, scooping her into his arms and twirling in a circle. "My Kagome! It's been months! How are you, my soon-to-be mate?"

Kagome laughed awkwardly. "Not bad, Kouga… how have you been? Haven't you gone to get Ayame yet?"

He snorted. "No way. I could never settle for her when I could have you!"

Kagome tried to pry her hands out of his, but to no avail. "Kouga, we've gone over this: we're friends. Good, good friends, and nothing more."

"You'll change your mind! You're my woman, and I wouldn't have it any other way!"

A threatening growl ripped both their attentions to Sesshoumaru, whose eyes were narrowed at the wolf in a malicious way.

Kouga froze. "Uhh… Kagome? Where's your mutt, and why is the Lord of the Western Lands here?"

Kagome was finally released and she laughed nervously as she went to Sesshoumaru's side. "Ahh, Sesshoumaru is my friend, Kouga, and InuYasha's brother. And as for InuYasha… he passed on."

Blue eyes widened and Kouga grabbed Kagome again, but this time into a hug. "I'm sorry Kagome. I know how much the mutt meant to you."

"Yeah," she said sadly as Kouga nuzzled her cheek and neck, ripping another growl from Sesshoumaru. "But Kouga, in all seriousness, you should go to Ayame and start your family. I know you want to, you can't lie to me. I'll be gone soon, and I may never see you again. But take care, alright?"

Kouga ignored Sesshoumaru's threats and put his nose and forehead against hers, smiling into her eyes. "So you are leaving for good, after all? I'll miss you. You'll always be my woman, no matter what. If you ever need anything, you are still part of my pack, and there's always a place for you. Ginta and Hokkaku will miss you, too."

Kagome smiled and gave her friend a soft kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye Kouga, and don't forget me, alright? In a few hundred years, who knows, perhaps we'll meet again."

He grinned in his usual lopsided way. "By then, will you be my mate?"

Kagome laughed and pushed him playfully. "Go on. Get your woman and make tons of pups for me to see when we meet again."

With a wink to Kagome and a wary glance at Sesshoumaru, the wolf prince was gone, leaving Kagome sighing in relief. She felt badly making Kouga believe they might see one another again, but she couldn't bring herself to admit to him that she doubted the presence of youkai in her own time. She doubted she'd ever get rid of him if he knew that.

Sesshoumaru was glaring at her heatedly, making her gulp. "Wh-what?"

"I was under the impression he was your 'friend'?"

"He is."

"Why was he touching you in such a manner and claiming you as his if you are just 'friends'?"

Kagome scowled at his jealousy. "Ahh, coming from the guy who's kissed me twice in a much more intimate manner than Kouga has ever acted towards me, then turned around like nothing happened... I think you have little to say on the matter."

Without waiting for him to respond Kagome walked away, not meeting Kagura's amused smirk at that tidbit of information. "Kagura, I'd like to ride with you, please."

"Sure, Kagome."

The two women were off in the air before Sesshoumaru could even put his mask back into place, before shooting off in the direction they went - the west.

* * *

"So, you've kissed him, ey? I thought you said there was nothing between you guys?"

Kagome blushed. "It was only two kisses, and only one of them anything more than sweet and innocent."

"Ah, so what about the other?" Kagura asked with a mysterious glint in her eye.

"You perv!"

Kagura laughed out loud, holding her stomach. "Oh come on, you're no fun!"

"Hn," Kagome replied, taking a page out of Sesshoumaru's book.

"The palace is in the distance."

"Mm, good. Darn, I'm almost out of arrows and need to go to town… would you come with me?"

"Sure, I'll take you. Do you want to go before or after going to the castle?"

"After, I want to take the children. I need to spend as much time as possible with them, you know?"

"Alright then, let's speed up."

The two on the feather glided easily down into the gardens, making two every happy children bound out to see them. "Kagome!" Shippou called out merrily, bouncing into her arms.

"Kagome! You came back!" Rin squealed, latching onto her legs.

"Were you two good for Jaken?"

"Yes!" they called out together.

"Would you guys like to come to the village with Kagura and me?"

"_Yes_!" they squealed.

"Let's go then, all right?"

Kagura laughed as the children bounded onto her feather and shook her head. "What village?"

"Doesn't matter, but it has to be a human one. For some reason, I doubt youkai villages would have consecrated arrows."

"You can't bless your own?"

Kagome laughed nervously. "I never learned how… I guess I never needed to… I mean, I can, but they're always stronger when blessed by a trained miko."

Kagura snorted and rolled her eyes. "Well, then let's just go to a human village. There's one nearby."

In fact, it was less that ten minutes of flying before they reached the village, setting down on the outskirts. Kagura stayed back, not wishing to call any unwanted attention to herself as Kagome and the children walked into the town. It wasn't a busy place, and finding the miko's hut was easy.

"Lady Miko?" Kagome called from the entrance, bowing in a respective manner as the middle-aged priestess came to the door. "Hello, I am Kagome, a wandering miko, and I need some new arrows."

The woman eyed her with an eyebrow raised. "You, child, are much more powerful than I. Why would you need me to make your arrows?"

Kagome blushed at her older counterpart. "Well… I am rather untrained."

"Hmph," the woman intoned, offering her and the children to come inside. After a few minutes she had paid for her arrows and bowed thankfully before exiting.

Rin looked around in awe; it had been a long time since she had been in a human village, and her memories of life before Sesshoumaru had saved her were faded. Kagome smiled at her and took her hand as they walked slowly back out of town, to meet Kagura. They had reached the last hut when they cry was heard.

"Youkai!" a woman screamed, running back into the village. Several men appeared from their huts, toting farming tools.

Kagome glanced around, picking up the children and clutching them to her as if they were a precious package. Screams and fearful chatter filled the air as she searched the tree line, finally seeing what they were so afraid of. She sighed and shook her head, calling to the villagers. "Hey, don't worry! That's my friend, she won't harm you."

The elder miko stepped out of the group, all of their hostile gazes turned towards her now. "Your friend? You are a miko, with a youkai friend?"

Kagome met the woman's glare with one of her own. "Yes. There are several youkai I am proud to call my friends."

The grumbling of the crowd got louder. "Oi! She holds a youkai child in her arms!"

Kagome's glare became deeper. "Yes, I do. This is my son, perhaps not by blood but he is my child all the same."

"Youkai lover! She's a dirty youkai lover!" a woman's voice screeched.

Kagura appeared at Kagome's side, "Is there a problem, Kagome?"

"No, there's not. Let's go."

The four turned to leave the village when the first rock struck Kagome's back. She winced and whirled around, glaring at the people who were looking at her as if she was filth. "What's wrong with you people?"

"You are no miko! You're a soiled demon supporter!"

"You know nothing about me!" Kagome yelled, her anger beginning to get the better of her. She handed the two young ones to Kagura before whirling back on the mob. "You all bring this on yourselves! No wonder youkai and humans can't get along! Of course there are some bad demons, but do you hate all your fellow humans because of Night Bandits? They're bad too!"

A few faces looked shocked and seemed to contemplate this, but others grew even angrier as a few more rocks flew out to hit the raven haired woman. She threw up a barrier around Kagura and the children, one of the rocks just barely missing Shippou. "Kagura! Get them out of here!"

"What about you?" Shippou cried.

"Don't worry, Shippou, I'll be right along."

Kagura was loathe to leave her, but the fire in the woman's eyes let her know to listen. She pulled out her feather and took flight, racing back to the House of the Moon.

The elder miko stepped forward. "You are a disgrace to miko everywhere! You do not deserve to live with your power!"

Kagome's temper was out of control now as she snarled at the woman. "Who gives you the right to decide who is and is not worthy? If this is what most humans are like, I'm glad most of my friends are demons! One of my closest friends is the only surviving demon slayer and _she_ accepts that there is a difference between mindless demons and intelligent youkai, why can't you?"

The few villagers who seemed to see what she had been saying slowly walked from the mob, but the majority stayed and the rocks began to come more swiftly.

Kagome put up a barrier to protect herself. "I can't believe this! You wonder why so many youkai hate humans? Sesshoumaru was right, humans are nothing but conniving, greedy, selfish idiots! You give all of us a bad name!"

The elder miko hissed and stepped back. "Sesshoumaru? You speak the name of the most human-hating youkai in these lands with such familiarity and dare to agree with him? What _are_ you?"

Kagome laughed with spite. "He asked me once the same thing. I am a human, and damned proud to be most of the time, but when I look at people like you who have nothing better to do than judge everyone else, I'm ashamed I wasn't born a youkai!"

Another rock, and then another flew, and her barrier was weakening. Barriers were painful to hold in the first place, and to use it against humans drained the energy twice as quickly. Kagome fell to her knees as she glared up at the townsfolk. "You all make me sick. I can't believe I am tied to a race of bigots."

Her words went unnoticed, and would not have been understood anyway as a few of the men began to pound her barrier with their farming tools, and Kagome's barrier dissipated. She braced herself for the impending impact, but it never came. Instead, she heard screams and fear radiated off the auras of the gang of humans. She turned to where their gaze was centered, and there in the early evening light stood a white god.

"Sesshou…" she called out sadly, making him pace to her side, all the while keeping a fierce glare on the cowering townspeople.

"Come, Kagome."

She stood and looked at the people with a shake of the head. "Someday, I hope you all can see."

"Humans are inherently ignorant, Kagome, and they will never learn."

Kagome's barely suppressed temper flared. "_You_!" she said, whirling on her savior. "You aren't helping, idiot!" She broke down into sobs, and didn't even notice as she was scooped up against the Western Lord and carried away, to the awe of the village people.

When they were sufficiently far away from the town, Sesshoumaru dropped Kagome unceremoniously on the ground and glared at her tear-streaked countenance. "You will not treat me in such a disrespectful manner, wench!"

Kagome's aura snapped so fiercely that a lesser youkai would have flinched. "What? You are telling me to respect you when you dare to treat me that way? You dare to come, undo everything I said to those people, then be angry at me?"

She was slammed hard into a tree without further waiting, an angered Sesshoumaru scowling at her, his eyes bleeding red at the corners. "You are in my lands, and those filthy humans were attacking you. What might they have done if I had not come? They are disgusting, boorish scum, and I will not be disrespected by a human wench in front of them!"

Kagome kicked out with her feet, her sneakers striking the demon lord in his sides and legs. "Let me go, Sesshoumaru! This is exactly why I said they made me sick! You automatically are discounting an entire _species _of people because of a few people like that! Sure, the majority may be just like them, but that doesn't lessen your idiocy! You only fuel the hatred that way!"

"The hatred will always exist, Kagome, because youkai _are_ better than humans. We are stronger, we are smarter, and we are eternal where you are momentary. We are the superior race!"

Kagome's glare hardened to stone; if looks could kill, Sesshoumaru would have died a million deaths. "Then why, pray-tell, do _humans _rule my world? Even if youkai still exist they are in hiding! In five hundred years, youkai will be nothing but a fairytale, like Cinderella! We _filthy humans _created the most stunning technological advances there have ever been! Furthermore, if you're so superior, so much better, so damned _perfect, _ then why the hell are you so set on seducing a disgusting human like me, huh?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes, which had slowly bled to be entirely red at that point, faded immediately to their normal gold, and for once, the great, cold youkai lord looked stricken. He stared at the crying, furious girl he held by the neck, his claws drawing tiny droplets of blood from the tender skin there. She struggled against his grip, and he released her, leaving her to collapse at the foot of the tree in a sobbing heap.

He shook his head in disbelief, looking down at her as she wailed. He leaned down and gathered her to his unarmored chest; he had removed it only moments before Kagura had alerted him to Kagome's distress. She clung to the soft material of his haori, her hot tears soaking through to the skin. He stoked her hair as he tried to decide what to say.

"I lost my temper. I should not have."

Kagome didn't acknowledge he had spoken, she just continued to cry.

"If you want your question to be answered… this Sesshoumaru does not think of you the way he thinks of other humans… because you are right. It would be ignorant of me to assume that all humans are the same. As I told you, you are different."

Her sobs lessened, but she still remained buried against his chest, unanswering.

"This is not your world, Kagome. Here, the majority of humans are not good. The majority of youkai are not good either. _I_ am not good. I would not falsify myself."

"How…" she croaked, barely audible, "how do you expect to survive into my world if you can't try? You're damned to be killed off, because I know the outcome! Humans will be the victors, and if you hope to be alive in a few hundred years, you have to be willing to step off your damn high horse. I… I want you to be alive then. I want you to survive, can't you just try?"

He looked down onto the top of her head. So, she wanted him to survive, did she? His voice was barely a whisper. "For you, Kagome."

She pulled back from him, looking up at him with her puffy, wet eyes and tried to smile. "Thank you, Sesshou. I would love to be able to find you again."

"Even if I have to seal myself in a hundred-year seal, this Sesshoumaru will see you again. I give my word to you, as Lord of the Western Lands. As your friend."

He smiled to himself as she raised up and kissed his cheek, near the corner of his mouth, in a gentle and lingering manner before leaning back into his chest. After several moments of silence he realize she had fallen asleep, exhausted by their arguing and her power usage at the village. He propped her in his one arm and summoned his cloud, and the two faded away into the darkening night's sky.

* * *

A/N: Awww. OOCness. Buh.


	15. Enigma

Disclaimer: Ahh… I've finally gotten to the end of the preamble. Yes, I said preamble. XD This story thus far has only been a precursor to the real story. Well, no, it's really more than that, because its vital to the story itself, and it's a large chunk of the story... but its still just been a prologue of sorts. XD Nope, I don't own.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 15 - Enigma_

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Several weeks of monotony passed. It was now midsummer, and the hunt for the Shikon Shards was winding down. Several shards had been in hiding, making the search draw out longer than any of them anticipated, and left the trio of travelers weary. Kagome ran the back of her hand across her forehead for the thousandth time, it seemed, and gave thanks to modern scrunchies and their ability to keep hair out of the face and off the neck.

It had been a week since the last shard had been found, and the jewel was dangerously close to complete. But somewhere out there was three or four more small slivers of the Jewel of Four Souls, and they had been searching all across the land with little success. Though the heat did not affect the two youkai as much as it did Kagome, they were still feeling the effects of long weeks on the road with few successes to raise morale.

"Umm… Sesshou?" Kagome said tiredly, the midday sun beating down on their heads.

A raised eyebrow was her only response.

"Can we stop in on the Demon Exterminator's village? It's nearby here, and I would like to say hello… and maybe goodbye to my friends."

Sesshoumaru nodded and changed course, taking them off the beaten dirt road and into the blissfully shaded forest. Kagome's spirits lifted a bit at the thought of seeing her friends, which in turn brightened her companions' moods as well.

Sesshoumaru watched her from the corner of his eye as she walked along, slightly lighter than she had been in weeks. Their relationship, though more strained after their argument a few weeks prior, seemed somehow more comfortable as well. There had been several nights that she had unabashedly sat beside him and leaned her head onto his shoulder, just to sit in silence and watch the stars or the fire.

He had refrained from doing anything she might not find welcome; he was unwilling to push the tentative bond they had to break. He was entirely willing to sit it out until her future came, if need be. He would not let a couple minor centuries get in their way.

Night fell and they were still a bit away from the former Demon Exterminator's village, so they decided to make camp and arrive in the morning. The fire was made, and Kagome passed out bowls of her not-yet-diminished Ramen supply to her traveling companions. She sighed happily at her full stomach and laid back on the ground, content for the first time in weeks. Sesshoumaru sat beside her when suddenly, a thought struck her, one she had been contemplating for weeks. Who could use it better than him? There was no one she trusted more.

"Sesshou?" she said, getting his attention. When it was just the three of them, she had taken to calling him the shortened version of his name almost constantly, much to his annoyance. He no longer bothered correcting her though.

"Hn?"

"I want to give you something, with my trust that you will use it properly."

His eyebrows disappeared under his bangs. "What would that be?"

She dug through her yellow pack, which was now much smaller than in the beginning of their journey, and pulled out a small book. She had bought it originally to give to InuYasha, but when he decided to go with Kikyou she had kept it instead. She handed it to him with a small smile, and when he looked at the cover his eyes widened.

"You would give me this?"

"Yes. I trust you to understand the complications if you were to try and change anything, and there are many dangerous things to come. I don't want anything to happen to you, if you plan to try and survive, or to Shippou, or Kagura, or anyone else who I know will be near to you in the future."

He ran his clawed fingertips gently over the cover. 'Quick Synopsis of Japanese History' it read. Kagome had found it accidentally, and since it was not in Romanji she had purchased it on a whim. The writing was modernized, but she thought the gist was still understandable. She smiled at Sessomaru. "I want to ensure you come back to me. I especially want to make sure you are far away in the mid twentieth century… but you'll read about that later."

He looked at her and smiled, a genuine if not small smile that made her heart skid to a stop and then bang unbelievably hard against her ribcage. She smiled back and he nodded, tucking it into his armor. "I am glad I have your trust. I would not wish to change things from what has happened, in case something were to change and make you never have come here. That would be very regrettable."

She smiled and leaned over against him, snuggling close to his pelt and sighing. He wrapped his arm around her and they stared into the fire together for a long time. Kagura watched with a smile; perhaps they weren't so hopeless after all.

* * *

"Kagome!" A noticeably pregnant Sango called joyously, jogging out to embrace her friend. Her husband walked behind with a wide smile on his handsome face.

"Oh, I missed you guys so much! The village looks great!"

"Yes, we have several new residents, even. We are truly blessed. Lady Kagome, it is good to see you once again," Miroku said with a bow, heeding the warning glares from all directions and staying an arm's length away.

"Come, lets go inside," Sango said with a grin.

"This Sesshoumaru will wait out in the forest with Kagura, Kagome. Call if you require me."

Kagome nodded her agreement and followed her friends into the Exterminator's village with an expression of true happiness.

When they were settled in the large headmaster's hut, Miroku turned an inquiring gaze on Kagome. "He said Kagura?"

"Oh yes," Kagome said. "She's been helping for a couple of months now. It's nice to have someone to talk to along the way. Sesshou's great and all, but he's not much for small talk."

"Sesshou, hmm?" Miroku intoned with a lecherous twinkle in his wide blue eyes.

"Perv," Sango chided. "Get your mind out of the lecher pits."

"I think his mind _is_ a lecher pit…" Kagome mused, earning a giggle from Sango.

"Perhaps it is…"

Miroku placed a hand over his heart in feigned hurt. "You wound me, my darling Sango!"

"Shut it, monk."

Kagome giggled and bit her lip. "I miss you both so much…"

"You should come to stay with us once you've completed the Shikon Jewel, Kagome! You know you would be welcome."

Kagome flinched, the small movement not missed by the monk. "Mm, perhaps I will…" she lied.

"Lady Kagome?" Miroku gave her a serious frown. "Is there something you are not telling us?"

Kagome cringed and looked down a the floor. "I'd rather not talk about it right now, please?"

Sango smiled. "How much of the Shikon have you completed?"

Kagome pulled the mostly completed jewel from her blouse and their eyes widened. "Amazing!" they said in shock.

"All those years we had to search over and over again, and here you are only four months after you began with almost the entire jewel!"

Kagome nodded with a false smile. "I know, without Naraku to compete with, and with Sesshoumaru and Kagura helping, it's gone by very quickly."

"Well, your search is over. In Midoriko's cave there are three shards, which we have taken from a few demons over the months. Without being able to purify them, we put them there to keep them from harm until you came to us," Sango said with a grin.

Kagome's eyes went enormous and her breathing hitched painfully. "No!" she cried shaking her head in disbelief.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Sango leapt to her feet to go to her frantic friend.

"I believe, Kagome, it is time you tell us about the wish you made on the jewel after Naraku's defeat," Miroku said softly, already having feared something similar.

Kagome sobbed uncontrollably, clutching the front of Sango's kimono and shaking. Miroku approached and rubbed her quivering back, not even feeling the impulse to travel downward. Sango exchanged a fearful look with her husband, who shook his head sadly as they tried to calm their friend.

It took half an hour and a large cup of tea, but eventually Kagome was able to speak. She told them slowly, with her breathing escalating to hyperventilation at times, how she would be leaving. By the end, Sango was sobbing with her, the two women clinging to one another for all they were worth, and Miroku looking on with barely suppressed sorrow. Their friend, who had sacrificed so much already, had sacrificed herself for them yet again.

"Kagome, why not just stay? Forget Midoriko! Oh gods, I can't believe I just said that… but do it! Leave the remaining shards in her cave and stay here with us! Don't leave me, Kagome!" Sango babbled through blurry eyes, shaking her friend slightly.

The miko smiled through her tears. "It is my duty, and I gave my word. I would not have been able to live without you guys, without knowing you could have a real chance at a life free from Naraku's control. It was my choice to make, and now I have to see it through. But I'll miss you guys so much." She broke off, wiping her overflowing tears. "I'm so glad I met you both. I will forever remember you as the most wonderful people I ever met. I had a rather… enlightening experience at a human village last month, and I feel so lucky to have met two as good as the both of you. You're..." her throat closed up and and she bit her lip. "You're the best family I could have ever hoped for."

Miroku approached and took Kagome's hands in his, so reminiscent of the old days, but now with eyes that were not sparkling with mirth. He looked at her for a long time. "We will never forget you either, Kagome, my friend," he said. "We will make sure your story is told through the generations, so that even in your own time our descendants will know who you are."

Kagome smiled forlornly and nodded, embracing the monk tightly. Sango wrapped her arms around them both as they all caught their breath.

"Kagome, maybe… one last bath?" said Sango with a weak smile.

"I would love that."

"You know, I would love that as well!" Miroku chimed.

"Pervert!" Sango yelled, the crack of hand-on-cheek resounding throughout the village.

"Some things never change," Kagome said in amusement, looking down at Miroku's foolish grin.

"Yeah, and I'm afraid they never will."

With mutual giggles, the two trudged out the village's hot spring, disrobing and lowering into the water. Kagome smiled at her off-balance friend, whose stomach made it more difficult for her to lower into the pleasant water. With a helping hand, she maneuvered in, smiling.

"Thank you, Kagome. I'm only five months along and already it's so cumbersome!"

"Maybe it's twins!" Kagome chimed with a grin.

"Ah! Don't curse me like that! Twin children of Miroku?"

The two broke into laughter as they massaged the shampoo into their hair. They met one another's eyes and smiled. It was better to focus on the good times and enjoy every moment, was it not? There would be time for grief after, for both of them. For now, they could just spent their last evening together, for though she wasn't sure of her youkai friends, it was a surety she would never see either Sango nor Miroku again. _'Unless the well re-opens…' _her mind whispered, but she was afraid to hope for that.

She had a quiet dinner with her friends, and they said their goodbyes in the somber moonlight, memorizing one anothers' faces. They had several 'Polaroids' as Kagome called them of the three of them, and Kagome had her own share of pictures as well. Since she could never risk having them developed, she had struck on the idea of the instant snapshots early in their journey, and had two large albums full of pictures from their adventures.

With a final hug and kiss to both her friends, and a few more silent tears, she began to leave the village with a heavy heart. When she exited the gate, she called for Sesshoumaru softly, knowing he would hear.

"Kagome?" he asked when he came to her, seeing her grief-stricken face.

She tried to force a smile and couldn't, instead collapsing into his embrace. He stroked her hair and face. This was no normal sadness, this was an encasing grief. He knew her friends were alive, he could feel their auras, so he was at a loss as to what could be so wrong.

"Kagome," he said softly, stroking the tears from her cheeks, only for them to replaced by several more. "You must tell this Sesshoumaru what is wrong."

Her breathing was ragged and harsh as she tried to calm herself. She shook in the circle of his arm, her tears not ebbing. She finally met his eyes with her own and her lower lip trembled violently, "Se-Sesshou….th-the last sh-shards…they're h-here!" she forced out through violent spasms.

Instantly he knew, and his gaze grew troubled, looking down into the broken miko in his arms. He leaned down to her, softly running his lips over her cheeks and eyes, devouring her tears, all the while growling low in his chest in hopes of comforting her.

She sighed and relaxed in his hold, her skin tingling where his mouth grazed over her. She turned up her face to his and caught his lips gently with her own, a movement he returned with fire. With an unmatchable ardor their bodies entwined, needy and yearning. Kagome's back was hard against a nearby tree in moments, her hands tangled insilver hair and her legs around his waist. His only arm was around her, holding her to him as if by doing to she would be anchored to him.

They pressed into one another as hard as they could, as if trying to melt into one being as their passion burned around them, in quiet moans of desperation. Hands roamed over scorching skin, fingers alternating between fluttering caresses and clawing need. When they finally broke apart, disheveled and out of breath, they stared into one anothers' eyes.

"I should… go get the shards."

"Yes," he murmured quietly into her hair, lifting her with one arm around her bottom. He carried her this way to the cave's mouth, where he set her down reluctantly. She sucked in a heaving breathe and entered the cave.

* * *

The journey back to the well was in silence. In the cave she had met Midoriko once more, and Kagome was still trying to understand Midoriko's parting words to her. She had seemed to be purposely cryptic and spoken in rhyme, and Kagome didn't understand any of it. She clung to the mute Sesshoumaru like a lifeline as she tried to sort her thoughts.

Kagura watched the newfound closeness between them, and was saddened that they would find it only on the eve of her departure. They had until dawn to reach the well before she was thrown out of their... time. The wind sorceress mourned the loss of her only friend, but had every intention of surviving to her time to see her again.

As they touched down in the clearing that housed the Bone Eater's well, Kagura said a final farewell before leaving the two alone. The moments before daylight were spent in silence as they looked into one another.

"I will find you."

"Of course."

"I will take care of your pup like my own."

She smiled and ran her fingers over his cheek. "Thank you. I don't know what's about to happen, though, and it scares me. Midoriko was so…secretive about what she was telling me…"

Sesshoumaru did not look surprised. "Just be honest with them," he whispered.

"Huh?"

As the purples of dawn touched the horizon, the blue of the well's magick increased, reaching up to take her. She leapt into Sesshoumaru's arms and kissed him hard as it began wrapping around her ankles and snaking its shining magicks up her legs.

"Just be honest, and know I will see you again in the future. Remember that."

"Wait, Sesshou, what do you mean 'be honest'? Honest with who?"

"You will know. Just remember my words. You will see me soon, my love."

That was the last thing she heard as her consciousness faded away and she was enveloped in the blinding blue light.

* * *

When she awoke from unconsciousness, her body aching, it took her several long moments of concentration before she was able to focus on her surroundings. She was in the grass, under… Goshinboku? She looked at the tree which seemed too reminiscent of the god tree she knew so well, but it was different somehow.

Kagome moaned and tried to sit up, only to meet with a very frightening obstacle: her hands were bound. She struggled against her restraints and tried to roll over, only to be met with a pair of menacing yellow eyes. Her captor sneered at her with defiance, his dark blue skin covered in boils. He reminded her of Jaken, but taller and, well, blue. She glared venomously. "What the hell are you?"

Surprise was evident. "Ahh, miko, you have awoken. And you're a spitfire, at that! You should fetch a high price!"

"Where am I? How did I get here? Where in the _hell_ is Sesshoumaru?"

"You're in Nippon, moron; I don't know how you got here, and I have no idea who you speak of."

Kagome paled visibly. Every youkai in Japan knew who Sesshoumaru was by name at the very least. He was a living legend! She began struggling anew, looking up to the strange Goshinboku for strength. It was then that she realized what was wrong with it. The diamond of rotted bark, from InuYasha's fifty year prison sentence there, was gone. Her mind repeated Midoriko's stupid, confusing poem again and again in her mind until it all finally dawned on her and she blackness consumed her.

The blue imp was having trouble transporting his newest acquisition; he had to get her to Heian-kyō for the slave auctions. A miko of this power would fetch one hell of a price if anyone was willing to risk it. He labored while dragging his cart forward. The spontaneous spikes in the energy of her aura were making it difficult to keep moving for the gangly youkai, so he decided on a break under a large cedar tree along the rarely-used path.

He never saw the blow which struck him down; he never got a chance to scream or even see his attacker. Said attacker moved to the crude wooden slab the youkai had been dragging, cutting the bindings of the woman who laid, unconscious, across it with a deft claw. Her aura was uncomfortable, but not entirely unpleasant. But there was a reason for her rescue. He wanted answers.

"Miko," he commanded, tapping her cheeks gently to rouse her. "Miko, awaken."

She moaned and opened her eyes a crack, trying to focus. As her vision finally cleared, the exclamation died in her throat in the eyes of her savior. Golden eyes, wide and expressive like InuYasha's but with the crisp color of Sesshoumaru. His words only compounded what she already knew.

"You, miko, tell me now: who are you, and why do you smell like my son?"


	16. Chronicles

Disclaimer: No own. Would like to own Inu, Sesshou, and InuPapa as my playthings…ahh, and I dislike the name Touga, so I have taken to using the name I attached to him when the 3rd movie first came out. It translates to Perfect. ;) Kukukuku.

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* * *

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 16 - Chronicles_

* * *

"Shit," Kagome cursed in a rare showing of frustration. She tried to sit up, assisted by the beautiful demon in front of her. She looked at him; though she had seen the projection of him once before, that was only a few moments. He was as tall as Sesshoumaru, but broader. Where his sons were lean, the father was bulkier, but still very attractive. His hair was primped perfectly into his high ponytail, which seemed to be the only thing that kept it from sweeping the floor. His eyes were trained on her, and Kagome lost herself for a several long moments within their depths.

His features, though somewhat finer and more narrow than InuYasha's, were very reminiscent of her hanyou. Unlike her more recent companion, he allowed at least hints of his emotions to show, and had facial expressions to illustrate them. The navy stripes that adorned his cheeks were jagged, reminding her of InuYasha as well. Though his coloring had obviously come from his father, Kagome assumed Sesshoumaru's sculpted, delicate features were attributed to his mother. The beauty of the man in front of her, though, was certainly not lost on her.

"Ahem…" he cleared his throat, making Kagome turn very red in the face. She should not, not, NOT be checking out the long-dead father of InuYasha and Sesshoumaru.

Then the situation hit her again and she moaned, dropping her face into her hands. Her savior was confused, to say the least; the girl went through so many emotions in a matter of seconds! Hopelessness, to intrigue, to admiration, to despair. He placed a hand tentatively on her shoulder, not wishing to frighten her, but she didn't seem frightened of him at all anyway. He pondered on that.

The scent of his son on her was strong. The intensity of it suggested prolonged physical contact, but he was sure this was not the case. Sesshoumaru had been at home just that morning, there was no way he could have gotten out to be so near to this mortal… was there? After a few more moments she seemed to compose herself and smiled up at him.

"I'm very sorry, Lord Mattaki, this is all just a shock. I have been through a lot in the last day."

"You know my name, I see, yet I still do not know yours, miko. Would you care to enlighten me?" Mattaki was a bit shocked at his own disposition to the girl; perhaps it was her aura. She was pure, innocent, and the waves of power emanating from her were soothing. This wasn't something he was used to feeling in a priestess. It prompted him to act as if he was with a long-time friend in his own home rather than in the middle of a forest with a miko in odd clothing.

"Oh, sorry again, Lord Mattaki! I am Kagome, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, I assure you. Now, I require an answer to my question, Kagome. Why do you carry the scent of my son upon you so heavily?"

The miko sighed in despair and looked up into those familiar golden eyes. "It is… a long story. And very unbelievable." _"Just be honest with them," _Sesshoumaru's voice reminded her and she sighed again, heavily. "But, as I was told, I should just be honest with you. I am from the future."

Mattaki's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he looked at the girl. He could sense no deceit and yet… how could such a thing be true? Then again, he had seen many strange things in his long life. "It is certainly a… difficult thing to believe. I think I need to know more."

"Yes, Lord Mattaki. Is there somewhere we can go to be in private and a little bit more comfortable?" she squirmed on the splintering wooden slab she was seated on. "It will be a very long story."

He let out a low rumbling chuckle. "Of course. We shall return to my palace; I believe this outranks patrols."

Kagome giggled a little, though the thought of entering the House of the Moon was weighing heavy on her.

Her companion, having risen to his feet seemed to notice this. "What plagues you, child?"

She smiled up at him sadly. "My immediate thought when hearing I would be going to the House of the Moon was that I could see my... well, Shippou." Her chin quivered dangerously before she inhaled deeply, determined not to break down. "I am sorry, that's just another bit of my story and can wait. Let us depart."

He was puzzled, but decided that questions could wait as he put an arm firmly around her waist and took to the sky.

* * *

After a side quest to retrieve a large yellow atrocity Kagome had referred to as a 'back-pack' from an old dry well, they once again set off for their destination. They arrived quickly with his demonic speed, and he entered the castle through a window; they did not need any attention. He especially was not willing to run into his son with the strange girl who was covered in his scent. That could be an interesting confrontation, to be sure, but not one he was looking forward to until he knew more.

He led her silently into his study and closed the shoji door soundlessly. The girl seemed to perk up upon entrance and promptly ran to a cushion. "Oh this one was always my favorite. It's even more comfortable new…"

Mattaki shook his head. The more and more she talked, the more he was tempted to believe her farfetched tale. The simple things were often what made a story believable or exposed its lies. He settled on a cushion across the low table from her. "This room has barriers around it, no one will be able to hear our conversation."

Kagome simply nodded, and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. "My love? Are you in there? A guard said you had returned already"

He sighed and gave the miko a smile. "Enter."

The woman who entered was stunning. Kagome had seen portraits, but her beauty in person was incomparable. She was right to assume the origins of Sesshoumaru's otherworldly beauty. She was slender and graceful, with a playful twinkle in her lavender eyes that made her seem very young. Her long black hair was plaited neatly and the dual violet steaks on her cheeks lent her a regal air.

The lavender eyes laid on Kagome with a curious look. "I see you have a guest, Mattaki."

"Yes, this is the miko Kagome. Kagome, my mate and Lady of the Western Lands, Kaori."

Kagome bowed and smiled, entranced. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady."

She began to smile back but stopped, sniffing the air and looking at her mate quizzically. "That scent…"

"Yes, I will explain later. For now, it seems a long day is ahead of Lady Kagome and I,"

Though looking playfully disgruntled, Kaori nodded to her lord. "Yes, my love. Pleasure to have met you, Kagome."

When the majestic woman had exited, Mattaki turned back to a still preoccupied Kagome with a small smile. "Now, before you begin, I am going to ask that you tell me everything that led you to this point," he saw her open her mouth to speak and effectively cut her off with a single hand in the air. "I do not wish to know of mine or my mate's deaths, nor anything I could change, but I do wish to know all else you know."

Kagome gulped. "How…how did you?"

His smile was minute, and his eyes showed his sadness. "The way you looked at us, child. You looked upon us as one does a legend or a dream come to life."

Kagome blushed. "I am sorry, my lord."

"No more formalities when we are in my home, just call me Mattaki and we'll get on fine. I do wonder though, if you would be so kind as to tell me... was my death at least honorable?"

Her blue eyes widened. "Oh. Oh, yes. I cannot imagine a better cause. You certainly did… do not die in vain, Mattaki."

He nodded and smiled. "That is all I could hope for. Now, back to you, child."

With a blushing smile, Kagome nodded and rubbed her fingers across her forehead. "This is going to be a long story, indeed. First, I need to straighten out a few points to set up my story. How old is Sesshoumaru right now?"

He looked at her for a moment quizzically. "One hundred and eighty four summers. How does that help?"

"I was trying to determine how far in the past I am," she thought for a moment. "Well, it seems an even five hundred summers, if my math is correct."

He was surprised, steepling his fingers to cover part of his expression. She was obviously educated, to have done mathematics in her head that would equal out to five hundred. He nodded in deference and waited for her to continue.

"What do you know of Midoriko?"

The demon lord was taken aback, to be sure. "Enough," he ventured cautiously.

"Please, Mattaki. This wil all make a lot more sense if you're willing to be honest."

He contemplated for a moment, and decided to trust his instincts on the girl. "I knew her in life, and it was I who took her crystallized soul to the Exterminator village as her final request. She was a good woman."

Kagome reached into her shirt and pulled out the Shikon Jewel, making the lord's face break into unmasked shock. She smiled ruefully. "It's dormant at the moment. I suspect that is because it already exists in this time."

"Why do you…"

"It will take more of my story before I can explain this," said Kagome, waving her hand at the jewel and dropping it back against her chest. "I just needed to see what you knew, so that this story would be easier to tell. The only other thing to clarify is me… well, my soul. After the danger of the Shikon began to be too much of a problem and its power too much of a temptation, the jewel was moved from the Exterminator's village, about 440 summers from now, and it was entrusted to a priestess by the name of Kikyou. Kikyou is the reincarnation of Midoriko, and I am the reincarnation of Kikyou."

He wondered how this was possible, but it certainly explained the feeling he got around the girl. If she was a reincarnation of Midoriko, she was indeed trustworthy. Though many things changed between incarnations, there were base truths that held true no matter the circumstance. He stayed quiet and watched the girl with new interest.

Kagome's eyes went wide. "Oh, goodness, this could have proven my origins easily!" she exclaimed suddenly as she began digging in the yellow bag. With a muffled exclamation, she popped up with two strange books, which she laid on the low table in from of her. "You see, though I have right now come from five hundred summers in the future, before that I came from another five hundred summers beyond that." She had lost her host, but he nodded in good grace. "And there we have a special thing that allows you to have an instant portrait taken of a person."

"Instant, you say?"

"Yep. It is complicated, but I will show you sometime. For now, I will just show you the result. A few of the pictures may help along the way, since you do not know yet of your second son."

"I will have another son, then?" he replied with a grin.

"Oh, yes. He was a royal pain, but my best friend in all the world. Here," she said, flipping open her book to a group picture taken a few weeks before Naraku's defeat. She pointed people out. "It will be good for you to understand who people are as I tell the story. Obviously, this is Sesshoumaru, and in front of him is his retainer Jaken and his ward Rin. To his left is me, Shippou - he's kind of like my child - in my arms, and InuYasha, your son, to my right. In front of us are Sango, a demon slayer, and Miroku, a monk."

Mattaki's eyes stayed on his eldest son for a moment, looking at the lack of expression on the beautiful face he had inherited from his mother. Everyone else in the portrait was smiling, but not him. Even his eyes showed nothing but a cool disdain. When she mentioned his other son he looked, and didn't hear another thing she said. It was only after she said his name several times that he spoke. "He… is a hanyou."

Kagome could have hit herself. How could she have been so stupid? She settled on grimacing and looking down at her hands. "Yes."

"So I lose my mate before I go then, I assume."

She simply nodded.

There was no denying the boy's lineage, he was definitely his son. He ran a clawed finger over his immortalized face delicately before meeting the worried eyes of his new friend. "Please, tell me your story."

Her previous excitement at telling her story was diminished greatly, but she swallowed hard and began. "It all started on my fifteenth birthday…"

Mattaki listened in wonder as she told a tale of time travel, deceit, love, and hatred. Of betrayal, loss, bravery, and revenge. It was all centered around some strange conglomerate hanyou and the sacred jewel. He heard of the evil hanyou's transgressions, the fights between his sons, of the terror that was stricken upon so many. And he listened as she told him of the strength and courage of his younger child, as well as she and the rest of their small group, and the trials they had endured. It was several hours of him sitting in enraptured silence before she came to the defeat of the group's nemesis, in which she broke off with a hopelessly sad expression.

"What is it?"

"When… I came to… Naraku was dead but so was everyone else. Sesshoumaru, InuYasha, Sango, and Miroku. They were all…" she stopped and took a long breath. "You see, it was my destiny to make a pure wish on the Shikon jewel, to release the part of Midoriko's soul that had been bound within, and rid the world of the plague that the jewel was. But when they were all gone… I made a deal with Midoriko. She gave my friends' lives in exchange for me re-gathering the scattered pieces all over again, and then when my task was complete I was to be sent away."

He nodded and smiled in silent thanks for the restoration for his sons' lives. "What happened then?"

She shrugged helplessly and sighed. "Well, at first everything was going wonderfully. We all had our first taste of freedom in so long! My friends, the monk and slayer, finally started to plan their wedding, InuYasha and I went on odd little daytrips together…it was how things should have been. Carefree, happy, and complete. Then it started to fall back apart. Kikyou decided InuYasha had to go with her to hell, and I… I was powerless to stop him. I came upon them as she was taking him and screamed for her to stop, to let him live."

"You loved him, then?"

"With all my heart and on so many levels. He was my best friend, my first love. He turned to me and smiled, and told me he had to go. He told me he loved me, and that he needed me to be strong for him. And he told me he would see me again someday. And I couldn't move. I just watched the ground open up and swallow them. When he was gone… I guess I was in shock. I didn't wake up for a moon cycle, I just… was." Kagome pushed her hands over her tear covered face and shook her head. "But that is not going to get me anywhere, to think of that. After I awoke, Sesshou came to see InuYasha. They were still on terrible terms, but at least when I was around they didn't fight anymore. I told him he was dead. He gave his usual snide remarks about his idiot, half-breed brother and was going to leave."

Mattaki frowned. "My son is a very different person in the future."

"I can't say for sure, I don't know him now. But Myouga told me once he was a very happy child."

"Yes, he always has been. So you know Myouga, too?"

"Yes. Because of him, and Toutosai, and even Saya, I know I can trust you. They say nothing but the best of things about you, and of your honor and goodness."

He smirked in amusement. "They would have a few more colorful things to say while I am living, I assure you."

She laughed shakily, trying to regain her composure. "I bet they would. Well, Toutosai at least, I can't see Myouga doing anything but groveling and running from danger. And Saya… would be too busy trying to get out of his duties and wanting a nap to care much one way or the other."

His laughter was a soothing rumble that filled the small room. "You know my friends well."

Kagome felt calmed by his youkai's personality; she was very glad to have met him, despite the implications it had on her life. She continued her story with a little prompting, talking of the previous four months with his son and about Midoriko's cryptic poem given to her only the previous day.

"So, what relationship do you have with my son?" Mattaki finally asked, giving in to his curiosity. Obviously they were not mated, but he knew there was something there.

Kagome's face would have matched InuYasha's haori. "We're friends. I'm the only person he considers one."

A dark grey eyebrow rose with a look very reminiscent of Sesshoumaru's deadpan. "Yes, is that all? The weight of his scent on you suggests very close contact."

The scarlet turned to a crimson. "We have been traveling together for four months, and when traveling I fly with him. He was also the last person I had contact with before I was... brought here.."

Mattaki knew better, but didn't push her into more. She moved to sit beside him and flipped through her picture albums, showing him various shots along the way. She had several pictures of Sesshoumaru, and only two showed any emotion on his face. In one, earlier in the photos, he had a small smile as he looked down at his little human ward. The warmth in his eyes spoke volumes, though, in comparison with the harsh looks in the other photographs.

He grinned at the images of his younger son being 'sat', or devouring food as if he would never eat again. The sorrow in that one's eyes was prominent often, though. "What happened in his life to make him look so lost, child?"

Kagome looked down at the picture sadly. "He was alone since he was a very small child. He had the true life of a hanyou - rejected by demons and hated by humans. I cannot tell you more than that."

He cringed, but nodded in understanding. The poor pup. Kagome pulled out one of her favorite pictures of InuYasha, one where the sun shone down on his closed eyes and a smile was apparent on his lips. She gave it to her newfound friend and inclined her head. "I… I want you to have this. So that, at least, you can have a reminder of the man your son will become. He was - will be - an amazing person."

He took it gently and looked into the girls startling dark blue eyes, smiling sincerely. "You have my most sincere thanks."

They continued through the albums, and as she reached the last page she snapped it shut. Her face was once again violet from the severity of her blush, which only peaked the Mattaki's curiosity. "What is it?"

She shook her head. "Nothing!" she chirped in a far too innocent voice.

He would not back down this time, though, and after a short wrestling match the lord was able to extract the source of the girl's flush from her hands and open it to the last page. It was a sweet picture. Kagome laid curled in his elder son's lap, obviously asleep. And his son looked down on her, using his only arm to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. It was much more like the Sesshoumaru he knew, he thought, seeing the love in the boy's eyes and small unguarded smile.

"Just friends, you say?" he said with a impish grin.

Kagome whacked him on the arm, somehow feeling that she had known him for years as she snatched back the album. "It was a cold night, and I had just gotten over being ill! Stupid Kagura; if I see her again, I'm gonna hurl something very large and heavy at her. I should have never taught her about cameras!"

The delightful rumbling laughter once again filled the room, and he laid a hand on her shoulder. She smiled sweetly up at the beautiful man as he fought to control his mirth. "It is truly refreshing to meet a human like you, child. It grows late, we should finish this discussion tomorrow morning. Come, I will show you to your room."

Kagome hesitated, a wary look on her face. "What if I come across Sesshoumaru?"

"Hm," he said, thinking. "Well, you will have to see him at breakfast. He'll know eventually. I will halt his questioning though, which may be a little… enthusiastic…"

"What should I say to him, though? I mean, when Sesshou told me to be honest with _them, _I don't know if he meant _himself_…"

"Honesty is always best. I will forbid him from asking of his future, since you seem to know a great deal of it, and I ask that you do not tell him."

"Oh, yes, I would never. Just as I cannot tell you what I know of yours. I suppose I should not even have explained InuYasha…"

"No regrets, child. I am glad to know I will have two strong and honorable sons, even though their rivalry leaves me a bit unsettled. What was it over, anyway, if you can tell me?"

She had left this out in her tale, not sure if she should tell him. But just as she had trusted Sesshoumaru with the book of the future, she trusted Mattaki with this knowledge and sighed. "Tomorrow, I think. I think you have enough information to absorb for now."

He smiled at her. "After breakfast, would you join me again? I wish to hear what Midoriko's words to you were - perhaps I could be of help."

"Thank you, Mattaki. I would like that very much."

"Come then, child, let me show you to your room."


	17. Anon

Disclaimer: No own. I do, however, own Kaori, and the personality of Mattaki. Also, I own the little poem I wrote to be "Midoriko's Words"…I am rather pleased with it. I also own the personality of younger Sesshou. And… umm… I own… others that have no bearing on my story. ;P

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* * *

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 17 - Anon_

* * *

_To guarantee events thus far come to pass_

_Anon a new journey to ensure that which has_

_Past, present, future; all three have aligned_

_Anon you shall see all - anon shall you find_

_Into the unknown to face that which you do_

_An ending to a beginning, understanding what is true_

_Events interwoven, a circle thus far incomplete_

_Anon, little miko... destiny shall thee meet_

Kagome stared up at the ceiling of the room she would once again occupy five hundred years hence, trying to put the pieces of the rhyme together. Though the gist was obviously that she had been purposely sent farther into the past, she couldn't fathom the _why_ of it. What part could she possibly play in this past? What necessity was there? She groaned and flipped herself over on the lumpy futon. It was not very comfortable - but she supposed it was better than nothing.

She wondered how she could possible face Sesshoumaru, one who knew nothing about what they would go through together. She buried her face into her "pillow" and yelled into it, the sound muffled in the fabric. She didn't know what to say around him, how to act. She had a bounty of knowledge of his character, his preferences, and his future, yet he did not know her.

Sleep reached out its soft hands to wrap around her weary soul, and Kagome cried silently into the fabric of her blanket. She'd been doing that way too much lately, but who could blame her? Here she was, in yet another time period, and the only person she knew didn't know her. What in the hell did she do to deserve this?

* * *

A quiet knock sounded on the chamber door early the next morning, and Kagome moaned her displeasure at being awoken. The ever-loathsome Interrupter of Sleep took her disapproving sound as one of welcome, and slipped into the room, quiet as a mouse. Kagome's half-lidded eyes decided this probably wasn't far from the truth… the girl had a rodent-like appearance. She also was selectively mute.

In a silence that Kagome repeatedly tried to break, the taciturn servant dressed her and fussed over her until she was presentable, if not uncomfortable, in several layers of silk. Apparently she was considered an honored guest, but the look in the serving girl's eyes obviously showed her disagreement with such a decision.

When she was sufficiently dressed, she was led down corridors she knew well, but allowed herself to be led anyway. She moped behind the servant with heavy steps, dreading every footfall that led her closer to a substantially younger Sesshoumaru. What would he be like, now, before the things that made him withdrawn? He was veritably a teenager at the moment, and she knew he would be different.

When she was announced and entered the hall, all was silent. The warm, inviting eyes of Lady Kaori and the brilliant smile of Lord Mattaki did little to soften the blow of seeing a young Sesshoumaru openly staring at her. His jaw could have been unhinged and had the same effect, and his eyes were burning with so many emotions even her skilled knowledge of his inner workings did not help. Not that she needed her skill to see the primary emotion - disgust.

Seeming to recover himself, the young Prince of the West scoffed out loud and made a very childish face at her before turning back to his meal. She cringed, unable to hide it, and was silently reassured by her host and hostess. She folded her legs under her at her spot at the table and listened to the idle conversation between the other three occupants, careful not to look up at the burning gaze she was receiving from Sesshoumaru.

"So, Father, are we in the habit of taking in strays, now?"

Kagome ground her teeth. He had been making little comments like that the entire meal, and she was growing weary. Her mantra repeated in her head as she kept her eyes off him. '_He is not my Sesshou. This Sesshoumaru has never tried to kill me, this Sesshoumaru has never gone after InuYasha, this Sesshoumaru never took care of me while I was sick. This Sesshoumaru isn't the one who protected me, this Sesshoumaru never let Rin braid flowers into his hair, this Sesshoumaru isn't the one who kissed me like he cared so much… this is NOT my Sesshou…' _She tried to assure herself over and over, but it did little to assuage her own fears. She did not see the comically widened eyes of Lady Kaori as Kagome stared at her food, shoving it around with her chopsticks.

"Ah, Kagome my friend, I am afraid some things have come to my attention this morning that I must look into. Would you mind meeting me after the noontime meal instead?" Mattaki asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"Mm, of course Mattaki, that would be fine."

A loud scoff made her look up, only to be pinned by a familiar, yet so foreign, golden glare. "Show some respect, human! He is _Lord_ Mattaki to you."

Kagome gritted her teeth, unable to break the searing gaze until he was thumped hard on the back of his head by a hard clawed hand. "Don't speak to my guests in such a manner. I have given her explicit permission to treat me informally, and so she shall. You, my son, are not in a position as of yet to demand subservience from anyone."

Kagome turned her shocked eyes to the current Lord of the West, who glanced at her apologetically. She blinked and looked back at her plate. She was fond of Mattaki, but this strife between father and son left her a bit ill. She hoped it wasn't her fault, but at the same time hoped that it wasn't a usual thing. After finishing her food, she asked to be excused, looking up to the lord who sat at the head of the table.

"That is fine, Kagome. Would you like me to assign you a servant to help you get around?"

"That is not necessary, my lord, I know this castle like the back of my hand. I'll probably just go to the Northern gardens until I am to meet with you."

He smiled his usual charming smirk. "So be it. Until then, child."

She nodded to Kaori and scowled at Sesshoumaru before rising to her feet and exiting the dining hall, not looking back at Sesshoumaru's loud comments. He reminded her so strongly of InuYasha and his brashness, and she wondered how he would react in the future to be told that. He looked sixteen or so and had nothing even close to the kind of composure and mind-to-mouth filtering that his future self had. The only thing familiar was the automatic disdain, just expressed so differently.

Kagome reached the northern gardens, which she was particularly fond of in the Feudal Era because of the abundance of Sakura trees that surrounded it. In spring, it was truly a sight to behold. Even in summer though, the beautiful greens made for a peaceful retreat; before her and Sesshoumaru got along during her 'captivity', she would retreat to these gardens for her peace of mind.

Walking over the arched bridge that spanned the oversized koi pond, she took a deep breath of the natural, calming scents that pervaded her senses. This was definitely her favorite place in the House of the Moon, and she enjoyed it even now in its younger form.

She was called out of her reverie by soft laughter, and turned to see the lady of the house standing beside her. "I see you enjoy this garden as much as I do."

Kagome smiled genuinely. "It is just as beautiful when I know it, and the atmosphere is the same. It calms me, relaxes my nerves."

Lady Kaori nodded in agreement. "Since I have been here, this has always been where I have come for the same purpose. I love it in the winter best."

"I have yet to see it in autumn or winter, but I would like to someday," Kagome said softly, with regret in her voice.

"Why is it you have traveled through time to now, Miss Kagome?"

"No, no Miss please, just Kagome, my lady. And I don't know… according to Midoriko's words to me, I have to assure the future here… but I don't see what I have to do with it."

Kaori pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I ask the same, just Kaori is fine. My mate told me of you, and the bond you have with Sesshoumaru - future or not - is enough for me to want to be your friend. As for what you need to do… I suppose there is no way to know, but you were obviously found by my lord for a reason. All you can do is go through each day and hope to understand."

Kagome offered a wan smile. "I miss my friends. I want to go back to their time."

"Sesshoumaru is your friend and he is here, is he not?"

"He is… not the same…"

"Ah yes, I heard your musings at breakfast."

Kagome paled. "Umm, excuse me?"

A poorly concealed giggle was her response. "I am not much for physical fighting, so I developed my mental abilities instead. I usually cannot read thoughts, per se, just moods and general attitudes… but you were thinking rather strongly, and I could not ignore your words. I apologize if you are offended."

Kagome forced a smile. "No, that's fine. I just hope you would not be upset."

"Why would I be, child?"

Kagome rubbed a hand on the back of her neck. "Because, I was not being very complimentary to your son…"

The badly hidden giggle was back, along with a grin that showed the Lady's canines. "Ah, I ignored those bits. You are entitled to your opinions, and my son was very rude to you. Trust in me when I say he is usually not so uncouth. I was much more interested in your… comparisons of his future self to his present self…"

Kagome turned a fluorescent shade of red. "Oh goodness… and you were not offended by that?"

"By what? That at some point my son tried to kill you? He obviously changed his mind if he was kissing you…"

Kagome's flush burned brighter and she resisted the urge to press her cool hands to her cheeks. "I was just afraid that since, you know, I'm human…"

"You have no control over the way you were born, child. There are, of course, many youkai who would persecute you for such, but we are not them. I admit to not being fond of most humans, but that has nothing to do with their species or mortality."

Kagome nodded and her blush receded a bit. "I miss my Sesshou terribly. In the last few months, he was just about the closest person to me… and now he's just gone. And I don't know if when I am done here I'll be sent back to his time or my own…"

"Inuyoukai live almost an eternity, I am sure you will see him again."

"Yes but… I am not sure of the existence of youkai in my era…"

Kaori gasped, startled. "Oh heavens, that's impossible! A time without youkai? Humans and youkai balance one another, it is yin and yang. I do no think it is possible for one to exist without the other."

That gave her something like hope, and she gave Kaori a smile. "I hope you're right, because I don't think I can go back to a life without him and my friends."

"I know I am. Just you want and see."

* * *

Lunch went by in companionable silence between the two women; Sesshoumaru had apparently been banished from the dining hall to save the miko any further grievances. She was thankful, but at the same time she was eager to perhaps get to know this Sesshoumaru. Sure, he wasn't the one she knew, but it would still be nice to talk to a Sesshoumaru whom she could read like a book. And she didn't wish to keep the animosity between them going; he would only resent her if he was kept from his usual routine on her account.

As Kagome left of the dining hall, she sighed into the quiet hall. Of course the dining hall was on the _other_ side of the palace from the Lord of the West's study. She trekked through the expansive maze of halls, not paying attention to her surroundings, as she knew this path by heart.

She gasped as she was seized by the shoulders and slammed into the wall. A portrait bit hard into her back and she glared. Sesshoumaru stood before her, a menacing scowl on his face. Kagome didn't know what was funnier: that she was pinned by his two arms for the first time, that he was _scowling_ in a rather comical manner, or that she found those things funny. Yet more proof that this was not her Sesshoumaru at all.

"Wench, I do not know how you have fooled my parents, but I am not as blind to you as they seem to be."

"Wha- blind?" Kagome asked, looking at him incredulously.

"I know you must have cast some spell on them and yourself to make you smell like me - I don't know what you hope to gain, but you will get nothing, wench. And as soon as I have convinced my mother and father of the same, you will be dead before you can attempt anything."

Kagome's ire was roaring as she struggled against him. "You idiot! You think you know me? Well, you don't, but I sure as hell know you! And you are just being a stubborn bastard, and I've been in enough fights with you just like this one that you don't scare me, _Lord Sesshoumaru_. Go to hell!"

She raised her aura around her and Sesshoumaru dropped his hands instantly, a trick that would not have worked on his older and more in control self. His face was contorted in anger and pain, and this time Kagome couldn't stifle a snickering laugh. This stopped him in his tracks. "What is so funny, bitch?"

"Your… your face!" she gasped, unable to stop the laughter that shook her.

His scowl came back. "Insolent wench, you dare to speak to this Sesshoumaru in such a manner? I should just kill you now and save my family the trouble," he snarled as he rose, ironically, his left hand. Even with her human sense of smell she could smell the sickly scent of his poison gathering in his fingertips and she stiffened.

"Whelp, you would do well to step away from the miko," a low bass rung out, freezing Sesshoumaru in his tracks. Mattaki loomed over his son's already tall form, the fire in his eyes visible. "I made it expressly clear to you that you were not to harass Kagome. If you cross me once more, the consequences will not be so easy to manage, pup."

Mattaki offered his hand to Kagome, who rose and followed him in silence. She didn't dare to meet Sesshoumaru's glare as she passed him. When the safety of the study was breached, Kagome let her frustration show. "Why does he hate me? I didn't do anything to him!"

"I am sorry, my friend. He will come around."

"I am just having trouble distinguishing this him from the him I know. It's harder than I imagined it would be."

"I can see how it would be. Just give him time, and give me time to talk to him."

"Thank you… I am sorry to bring you so many problems."

"Do not worry, child. You are a breath of fresh air," Mattaki grinned and led her to a cushion and sunk into one beside her. "Now, we were going to talk about Midoriko's words?"

Kagome recited the rhyme to him and he looked contemplative. "Hm, well, I suppose there isn't much to figure out, is there?"

"But I can't help but think there is another meaning behind them."

"I have a few inklings, but I would like to think more about it before I propose any ideas. Would that be alright?"

"Of course." She awarded him with a genuine smile.

"Good, then. I still have a bit longer until I must go to train my son, would you like to keep me company?"

"I would like that very much, my lord. Now that you have had a night to let everything I told you sink in, do you have any questions?"

Mattaki smiled. "I admit I have not made much time to really think, but in the coming days I expect I will have much to ask. Are you willing to tell me now why my sons fight one another so?"

She ran a finger over Tessaiga's not-so-worn hilt lovingly, which was still strapped at her companions side. "The 'Iron Cleaving Fang'. You enchant it to help InuYasha to tame his demon blood, and bequeath it to him. Sesshoumaru was not happy with this."

With a smile she continued. "You leave Tenseiga to Sesshoumaru in hopes of teaching him compassion and love. It worked, eventually, once he got over his vendetta and realized the wisdom in your actions." She looked up to meet the amber eyes of Mattaki. "He used it to bring his ward Rin back to life, and he went from a block of ice to a… slightly… less frigid asshole," she said with amusement. "If not for that, I don't think even I could have gotten through to him."

He nodded, albeit sadly. "It makes me wonder on what my poor pup has to go through, but I understand you cannot tell me. I wonder though, what about this one?" he said, reaching up and touched the ball of his third, and most deadly sword.

Kagome's shudder was visible. "I hate that thing. Yes, Sou'unga, if you are listening, I hate you. It caused us a lot of problems, that one did... Saya didn't help, of course." She glared over his shoulder, willing the scabbard to be listening. "But in the end, your boys worked together to seal it away into hell. That was the only time I got to see you. You appeared to them to tell them you were proud as the gates closed. InuYasha was in veritable shock over it, and brooded for weeks. He was just glad to see you, I think."

Mattaki chortled and nodded. "It seems I am wise after all, huh?"

A grin was his response before he noticed the sun's position in the sky. "I need to leave you now, but I think you can find your way back to your room?"

"Yes, I can. Thank you very much for all your hospitality, my lord. I really am appreciative. I hope to be able to untangle all this soon so that I may leave you in peace."

"Worry not. You are a joy to have here." The twinkle in his eyes spoke volumes. "I shall see you tonight, child."

* * *

A/N: I want to touch on the swords - again, I take the 3rd movie as canon-ish, though I know it is not. But at least Rumiko-san actually had say in it, unlike the first two, ey? And I am aware that he possibly didn't forge the swords until he was involved with Izayoi, but I felt the need for him to have them now.


	18. Curiosity

Disclaimer: Ahh…another chapter. I am going to try out Sessy's POV, since most of this story has been from Kag's… though that was for a reason. But, here is an entire chapter of Sesshou, to get an understanding of him in this time period.

A note on the House of the Moon…I cannot describe its appearance. Why? Because it's a jumbled mess in my head. XD It is a strange mixture of a traditional Japanese palace and a western medieval castle, and I cannot hope to describe it to you. So, instead, I will let you picture it however you want.

But, I will explain the layout: it is spread into either separate structures or wings, depending on how you see it… the front faces east, with mountainous cliffs surrounding on three sides (it is nestled at the bottom) and a large lake stretching out across its front, kind of like an overgrown moat. So, entry is not easy. Entry must either be by a thin and heavily guarded path around the southeast side of the lake, or flying across the waters. Over the rocky, mountain-y cliffs is the ocean to the west. The north of the enclosure is the gardens (the largest one, at least), to the west is the private rooms for the family and honored guests and the study and library, the south is servants and regular guest housing, and east is the dining hall, important meeting halls, the entry, and other non-living quarters.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 18 - Curiosity_

* * *

Sesshoumaru scowled at the clouds that drifted casually across the cerulean sky, angry that anything could be so carefree when he could not. His father was late for his training; not that he minded of course. In the recent months his training had been stepped up considerably and left him tired almost all the time. He thirsted for new power and understanding of his innate youkai abilities, but his father was a fierce instructor.

He paced across the field, looking over at the castle that would be his by birthright. It was majestic and imposing all at once; the high, rocky mountains surrounding its sides and rear tempered by the crystalline lake that spanned its fore. It was built for security and was a beacon that shone out across the western lands.

Sesshoumaru knew that someday this would be his, whether by his father's death or by his resigning the throne. He wasn't quite sure if that was what he wanted, though. His father was the most powerful youkai in all of Nippon, and he was practically uncontested in his position. Sesshoumaru, while powerful in his own right though as of yet only partially trained, just didn't see the point of constantly fighting off adversaries in order to retain... what? A large chunk of land? A castle? Servants and vassals and annoying advisers? There was so much more to life.

But Sesshoumaru was the heir to the throne of the Western Lands, and knew that because of this he did not have a choice. He knew someday he would be forced onto the throne, and had to throw his entire being into that position. He sighed as he felt his father's aura closing in on him; he was finally arriving.

"Father," Sesshoumaru said drolly, eyeing the tall man before him.

"Before we train, pup, we are going to talk. I do not appreciate the way you are treating the Lady Kagome. You will not be so disrespectful."

"Why not?" Sesshoumaru fumed, his eyes narrowing. "She's nothing but a pitiful mortal wench who has bewitched you!"

Mattaki sighed inwardly, but his face showed nothing to his son. "You know not what you speak of. Whether you choose to believe her or not is up to you, but you will not sway mine or your mother's belief. We know she is who she says she is, and you would do well to get to know her. She is a delightful creature."

Sesshoumaru scoffed and wrinkled his nose. "She's a human."

"Your point, pup?"

"I'm not a pup, father, I am nearly two centuries old. And her being a humans means she is beneath me and my position as a future lord."

"You are still a pup, and it is rather obvious when you are acting this way. And no, her mortality does not. While many humans are foolish, dirty creatures, you cannot judge the entire species by that. That girl is a jewel, and at some point in the future you will be rather fond of her."

Sesshoumaru looked like his eyes would bug out of his head. "What do you mean by that?" He controlled himself and tried to blank his features. "Besides, I still refuse to believe she is from any future."

"You know I am not going to tell you, whether you believe it to be true or not," Mattaki chided. "But you and she are friends in the future, and your rudeness is unbecoming of your stature. Now, defend yourself!"

Sesshoumaru dodged his father's attack and immediately cleared his head. This would be something to contemplate later.

* * *

The steaming water of the hot spring enveloped Sesshoumaru's muscles; training had run long past dinner that night and his muscles were screaming in agony. His father insisted on nothing less than perfection and after several moon cycles of training he was beginning to be worse for the wear. He let the steaming waters soak into him and melt away the tension, his eyes drooping.

He didn't hear or smell the approaching girl, but noticed when a loud squeak drew him from his reverie. She stood in the open shoji door, staring at him red-faced and mouth agape. Sesshoumaru grinned mockingly. "It is impolite to stare, mortal."

Her bearing was recovered immediately, though now her ire overrode her sensibilities. "Kagome, Sesshoumaru, my name is Kagome. Surely a prince such as yourself can remember such a simple name?"

His grin melted away. "Stupid girl, who are you to speak to me that way?"

"Maybe not now, but at some point I will be your friend, and I don't care if you believe me or not about it. I can and will say whatever I please to you _whenever_ I please to. You are not my master."

Sesshoumaru, forgetting his own position, stood in the water, exposing him from the waist up. "You are walking a thin line, human."

"Kagome, remember? Wow, you have a very short memory!"

His growl resonated through the bathhouse. "Using your name would implicate respect, and you certainly do not have mine."

It was Kagome's turn to growl. "You are such a jerk! Ooo! See if I ever bother talking to _you_ again!" She spun on her heel, slamming the door behind her.

Sesshoumaru leaned back into the bath, the relaxed feeling that had recently surrounded him shattered. He stomped to his towel and clothing, drying and dressing in a matter of moments before storming out of the small hut which had been built around the spring. How dare the girl treat him in such a manner?

He stomped to his bedchambers without dinner and landed with a muffled thud on his futon. Was it really possible that this girl was some… friend… of his in the future? It seemed so impossible for someone to travel through time… but this mortal seemed convinced that she had. She did not strike him as a competent enough liar to fool his youkai senses, so that was ruled out. Perhaps she was insane? Annoying, perhaps, but he didn't sense any of the erratic behavior that usually spoke of an addled mind. Sesshoumaru glared at his window, watching the full moon for several minutes as he pondered. So, she was possibly_ - possibly_ - telling the truth. Assuming she was, where did that put her?

Maybe his future self was an idiot, to be friends with her. Not only a mortal, but willful, snide, and argumentative to boot! Why would he be on any terms with her? Perhaps he had acquired brain damage over the centuries? He laughed mentally at that. He couldn't fathom ever being friendly with a human, let alone this one.

As he drifted off to a short sleep, he made his decision. Without proof of some kind, he could not believe it. He would not. So he decided he would have to demand answers from the girl, since this seemed the most intelligent course of action. He was Sesshoumaru, and she would tell him what he wanted to know.

* * *

Sesshoumaru was hard-pressed not to roll his eyes. The second, and much less preferable, part of his training was to sit in with his father and his board of advisers. Listening to a crowd of ancient youkai prattle on about menial matters was not at all amusing to the Western Prince, and he had to force himself to keep from slaughtering the lot of them. There would be time for that when he was in charge.

Now that was a nice thought. When he was lord, he could massacre his way through his council and never have to listen to their annoying blather again. Why did his father put up with them, anyway? They were useless! Anything they had rambled on about could have just as easily be read in a scroll instead of droned by some simpering idiot.

The next youkai to approach was younger than the others, but that was not saying much. He was some kind of amphibious breed, a frog perhaps. His eyes were watery and bulbous, and his body short and very stout. He cleared his throat, the croaking sound only furthering Sesshoumaru's frog assumption, and faced Mattaki.

"My lord, there is a matter that has come to my attention. There have been whisperings from the servants of a miko in the palace?"

A slight increase in the position of Mattaki's eyebrow was his only response.

"My lord, it makes the castle inhabitants uncomfortable to be so near a holy power so mighty. This could cause much unrest, and this lowly vassal humbly asks if she will be departing soon?"

Mattaki's eyes narrowed minutely, his voice deadpan. "You are questioning me?"

"N-no! No, my lord! I would never!"

"The girl is not a danger, and you would do well to squelch all insubordination involving her. I will not tolerate any disrespect towards her, she is my guest." His eyes shifted to his son for a bare moment before locking his fierce gaze on the adviser.

"Y-yes Lord Mattaki, it shall be done."

"Is there any other pressing business? If not, I have other business to attend to."

The entire assembly began squawking at once, and Sesshoumaru has hard pressed not to rub his temples in irritation. Once again he wondered why his father bothered. But thankfully he stood, silencing the group and strode from the study, and Sesshoumaru took no spare moments in following him. It was certainly good to be free.


	19. Tension

Disclaimer: No ownedge.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 19 - Tension_

* * *

_A heap of silk as coverings are divested. Graceful fingers dance across burning flesh in the dead of night. The song of pure ecstasy rings in the couple's ears as they lose themselves within one another. Obsidian and moonlit strands combine, splayed across silken sheets. Cries of pleasure, of completion, of destiny._

_The woman's back arches drastically into her lover's touch, pressing her body into the scorching source of heat above her. Her partner moans as her legs move to wrap around his hips. Her control is nearly lost as she digs her nails into his muscled back, raking them across his shoulder blades as she screams his name…_

The dreamers awoke, breathing heavily, trying to dismiss the visions from their mind. It was not yet dawn, but neither would find sleep again that night.

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* * *

_

Kagome had been in the Heian period for a month now, and in that time, she had studiously avoided confrontation with Sesshoumaru at all costs. Mattaki had business to attend to on his northern borders, so with her 'protector' gone she had simply avoided Sesshoumaru and hoped that he would not seek her out. It had worked, for the most part. She spent most of her time with the Lady Kaori, and any free time spent sitting in the Northern Garden with a notebook.

She had come to the conclusion that, should she ever make it back to Modern Japan, she would write a book series of her adventures. Surely the truth of her life was more exciting than any author's mind could ever hope to imagine. That was, of course, if she ever got back. She cringed as the thought crossed her mind. Would she? Or would she stay in this period and live out her life? And if that were the case, would that erase the memories of her past with InuYasha, with Sesshoumaru?

It took her a moment, but she clearly remembered Sesshoumaru at the well. He'd known she was coming here, right? That was what his warning had been for. This train of thought always led her to scowling vehemently. Damn him! Why hadn't he told her sooner? And then she remembered that she must leave a terrible impression on her someday-friend, considering all the times he'd tried to kill her.

And now, this morning, she was awoken with that dream. Her face burned in remembrance.

Kagome shook her head free of the traitorous thoughts. Sure, she could admit being attracted to Sesshoumaru (_her _Sesshou, of course) but actions like… that were not something she would give up for lust and affection. She wanted to be sure. Often times people discounted true love as a fairytale, a foolish dream. Even she found herself sometimes believing it. But she was sure, positive, that somewhere out there was a person who would love her so completely that they would gladly spend eternity with her. All she had to do what find him.

She giggled at her girlish fantasy. It was the one thread of her eternal innocence that she had retained through every argument with InuYasha, through every night she found him with Kikyou, through every tear she cried. Even if InuYasha had not been that person, she would find him. And if she didn't, she was perfectly content to just wait it out. She hoped. She could always be one of those scary ladies who lived alone with fifty cats and who frightened the neighborhood children. It would be pretty funny, actually, to launh her cats as projectiles at the kids if they tried to walk on her lawn.

Kagome huffed a sigh into her unruly bangs and pulled on a midnight blue yakuta, laughing to herself. The days were getting warmer now that summer was in full swing. She eyed the lavender tendrils that wound their way up the contrastingly dark material with a smile. With so many kimonos that clashed so terribly, it was nice to find a few that were complementary to her modern tastes.

Another heavy blush stained the young miko's cheeks as a flash of a similar kimono sliding to the floor played in her mind's eye.

Her servant, the mousy girl having been replaced with a pleasant horse youkai, entered as dawn broke and was shocked to see her charge out of bed and already dressed.

"M'lady! Already awake, I see?"

"Mmhm. I couldn't fall back to sleep, so I thought I would dress. How are you this morning, Mizuki?"

"Well, you've taken half my fun away, so at least let me fix your hair. I'll tell you about my evening then."

Kagome giggled. "I would like that Mizuki."

Kagome relaxed into the older woman's tugs on her uncontrollable mass of hair, letting her mind slip away from all thoughts of silver-haired youkai, the future, and emotion. The servant girl and she had become fast friends once she had mentioned to Mattaki that her former servant seemed adverse to her humanity. It was nice to have someone to chat with.

When she was properly primped, refusing the cake-like makeup as usual, she left her chambers to find her way to the dining hall. Mattaki had returned sometime late last night; she had been able to feel it when he arrived. His youki was so powerful it was impossible to mistake him for anyone else. She smiled widely at him as she entered, bowing her head in greeting.

"I see you have returned, my lord."

"Ah, my friend. How do you fare?"

She noted the lack of Sesshoumaru at the table as she took her seat beside the lady of the palace. "Well, my lord. Did your business go well?"

"Yes, it was menial and I am very glad to be back in more pleasant surroundings." With this he threw a glance at his mate, who blushed prettily and smiled at her food.

Kagome giggled. "Well, we certainly noted your absence. This castle just isn't the same without you!"

"I trust my son gave you no problems?"

Kagome coughed discreetly and looked away. "Ahh, no. I avoided him."

A bark of laughter was her reply. "So I see. Speaking of young Sesshoumaru, where is he?"

"Here, Father," a melodic baritone called out, and the pale form of Sesshoumaru glided into the hall. For once, he did not glare at her, but refused to even glance in her direction. Kagome couldn't help glancing up, and her breathe caught in her throat. His usually light ensemble choices were replaced with a black haori and hakama, silver threads adorning the belled sleeves. She blushed as another flash of dream played before her eyes and she tore her gaze away.

Both the lord and lady noticed the tension between the two, but since it was a silent tension they left well enough alone. The morning meal went on quietly until Mattaki grinned and stretched back languidly. "I have not slept so well in weeks. Did everyone else sleep well?"

Kagome turned the color of the crimson sash around Kaori's waist. Sesshoumaru choked on a bite of food. Now the two elder youkai were intrigued. "I take that as a no?" Kaori said with a light laugh.

"Ahh…" Kagome tried to think of anything other than the images from the dream. "My sleep was good, but I woke up after a dream and couldn't go back to sleep."

She glanced up to see the stunned look on Sesshoumaru's face. He glared at her incredulously for several moments. "I was awoken early as well. Nightmares, you know?"

Kagome irrationally snapped back, despite how unlikely or impossible it was that Sesshoumaru had had a dream even remotely like her own. "Oh yes, nightmares. I woke up and was glad I did not take dinner last night, otherwise I would have had to purge myself."

Sesshoumaru growled. "It did not matter that I had not eaten, I _did."_

Mattaki finally broke the staring contest. "Would you two care to clue us in to what you are referring to?"

"No!" they both shouted before standing and stomping from the room in separate directions.

Kagome stormed into the castle's dojo and pulled a bow and quiver from the first rack she saw. Paying no heed to the other occupants, he began firing off arrow after arrow at a far target. Her aim had been honed well in her four years with the weapon, and it showed when all the rapidly-fired arrows hit their target, though few were at the center. She fumed and took solace in the familiar wood in her grip, the twang of the bow string, and the dull thuds of her arrows finding their way home. _Home_. Home where her family smiled during their meals, home where she could shower, home where she _knew people_ and _did things_ and people _cared_.

She didn't notice the quick retreat of the former occupants of the dojo, all made uncomfortable by the spiking snaps of her holy aura. It only increased as she fired again and again, the arrows flaring a hot white as they struck. She was tired of being constantly torn from place to place. She was tired of losing her loved ones. She was tired of being the one who knew nothing, the one who said the wrong thing, the one who sat as a burden on the shoulders of others. She was furious and hardly noted the hot, rage-induced tears that fell down her cheeks, snapping the bow again and again.

But the muscles of her neglected arms could only take so much, so when an arrow she was readying sprang away when she couldn't draw back the string, she could do little but sink to her knees, finally giving into the urge to scream. "I want to go home!"

The arms that wrapped around her were comforting, and she turned into the embrace as the sobs finally consumed her. She weakly beat at his chest before giving in and allowing herself to be swallowed in his arms, gasping for breaths that were hard to take. The arms were unyielding as she wept.

When her sobs finally calmed to whimpers, she chanced a glance at the owner of the lap she sat in. Silver hair and golden eyes. "Mattaki, I am sorry for being so weak. I must be such a bother to you." She laughed without humor.

A clawed finger pressed to her lips. "Hush, child. You lasted longer than I thought you would. It is not healthy to keep such emotions pent up, you know. Now, tell me what plagues you?"

"I just… I want to go home. I don't even know which home anymore! I don't care if its my time or that of your sons, I just want to be somewhere I belong, somewhere I understand! I have been here a moon and still have no idea why I am here."

"But is that through any fault of your own?"

She huffed a bit, rubbing at her cheeks to get rid of her tears. "No."

"Then stop wallowing. You are a strong young lady to put up with even a single member of my bloodline, let alone two. This may not be a time you are accustomed to, but I expect you thought very little of my sons' time when you first arrived either."

She giggled weakly around a pathetic hiccup. "Well, with InuYasha trying to kill me and yelling at me every five minutes, that's a safe assumption."

"Why not try to make the best of your time here? Is there not anything that sparks your curiosity?"

"Well, yeah, there is. I would love to see Heian-kyō… and I want to get to know Sesshoumaru here… and _you_ for that matter. I have heard so much of you, and I can't deny liking the idea of getting to know more about you than Sesshou was willing to tell, or than Myouga had time to before running off..."

He gave her a genuine grin, fangs and all. "Well, we can do all three! Perhaps not immediately, and Sesshoumaru will take work, but those three things should occupy you for a while, should they not?"

She smiled back and leaned into his chest in something resembling an embrace, though her hands stayed in her lap. "Thank you so much for all you've done, Mattaki. I wish there was a way to repay your kindness."

"Worry not, my friend. Just continue to take care of my son in the future and we shall call it even?" He stood, taking her with him before settling her feet on the floor.

"He would resent that remark."

"Well, then, it appears the present and future versions of my sons have something in common, then."

* * *

Hours after her calming talk with Mattaki, Kagome found herself wandering amongst the flowers after nightfall. The summer sky seemed to be alive with the twinkling of the stars, the near-full moon casting an ethereal glow on the garden. She wondered what the date was. It was sometime in July, she thought, or was it August? She wasn't even sure when she had lost track of the days. It had been in the Feudal Era, she knew.

She meandered past some imported roses and stroked the soft white petals. So soft. She didn't register the approaching youki signature that advanced on her, but when gravel crunched only a few feet away, Kagome snatched her dagger from the folds of her obi, gripping it and spinning on her adversary as she had been made to practice.

Her wrist was caught easily, and she stared up into the molten gaze of Sesshoumaru, who looked at her contemptuously. "You think such a meager blade could ever be used against me, mortal?"

Kagome glared. "Meager, is it?" She wrenched her wrist from his grasp and offered him the dagger. "Take a look and say that again."

Unable to resist the curiosity, Sesshoumaru took the blade, which hummed happily in his hand. He studied it closely before realization dawned on him. "This is… my fang?"

Kagome smirked mockingly. "Still think it's meager?"

"Why do you have a blade made from my fang?"

Kagome sighed and shook her head. "Because Toutosai took it upon himself to make it when we went to get your own blade repaired. You did not mind, and in fact agreed with Toutosai about me needing a more close-range weapon."

Sesshoumaru glared. That did seem like something he would think, if this woman really was his _friend. _After all, a bow and arrows were useless in a one on one fight. "But why would I let _you_ have it? A blade made from a youkai's fang is kept within families, going to children and mates!"

Kagome burned crimson. "Well, I do not know why you did… do… whatever!"

Sesshoumaru leaned closer to her, scrutinizing her closely. "I would be suspicious if I did not know that I would never be interested in a human."

Kagome's fury blazed around her. "You bastard! You'll see when you-" she cut herself off and feinted right before dipping around the youkai's left side, leaving Sesshoumaru to jog to catch up.

"Tell me of myself, if you know me so well."

"I do not know you now, I know what you _will_ be."

"Then, how did we meet?"

Kagome snorted ruefully, continuing the trek back to the castle. "You tried to kill me."

"Ah, I am smarter than I thought."

A huffing breath escaped Kagome and she stopped, whirling to face him. "Do you always have to be such a jerk? I didn't do anything but smell like you, and you have me pinned as a terrible person!"

"I did not say that, though I do admit to thinking you were a liar. And what is a jerk?"

"It's a word I think was invented to describe _you_, whether it's now, then, or in the future."

"So then, it means 'debonair and skilled', does it?"

Kagome's eyes went as big as saucers. "Leave it to Mister Arrogant to say something like that. Urgh!"

"Mister Arrogant? That is what you call me in the future?"

"No, though it fits. As do things like 'Ice Prince' and 'Arrogant Bastard', like others call you… and Fluffy…" she snickered as she said that one, "but I just call you Sesshou."

The silver-haired teen made a face. "That is foolish."

"You think so then, too. You get over it though, because I am so adorable."

"Who is arrogant now?"

The two smirked at one another before realizing they were speaking civally, and turned to face the opposite direction. Kagome stomped back to the palace, but not before tossing a small smile over her shoulder. "Goodnight, Sesshou."

She was gone before he turned back around, a small smile on his own lips. "Goodnight…Kagome."


	20. Secrets

Disclaimer: No own. No care. No interweb. -weep-

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 20 - Secrets_

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Kagome did a small victory dance at the sight in front of her. The library was something from her dreams! About one hundred years prior to her stay with Sesshoumaru in the Feudal Era, an overly-fed fire in the corner had sent a spark just far enough to engulf half the precious library, and while it had been rebuilt, many books and scrolls had been lost. Mostly the former, which was unfortunate since they were such a rarity anyway.

Now there were shelves upon shelves of the banned commodity, and Kagome was absolutely tingling with excitement. She spent almost an hour just browsing the collection, in awe of the knowledge and history that was sitting in front of her. She could have swooned.

One book caught her attention with the detail put into it; all were made by hand, obviously but the person who had scripted this particular edition had taken much time for detail. She wasn't sure what it was about, but she plucked it from its place and surreptitiously tiptoed from the large room and made a break for the gardens.

It was nearly sunset, and she would likely be asked to stay inside if she was caught, so with minor manipulations of her aura she slipped past the guards unnoticed and into the smaller Western Garden. In this garden, the flowers bloomed year-round from their magicks, and Kagome soon found herself relaxing back within the bloom-filled world.

There had been an insurgence of attacks over the previous few days, and she had been strictly forbidden by her host to leave the Western wing of the palace after dark. Well, she was still in the western... area, wasn't she? Mattaki would just have to accept her rebellious side. She had barely had time to crack open the book before the voice interrupted her.

"So, you can read, can you?" his voice said sarcastically.

Kagome peeked over her novel to see Sesshoumaru in the dusk's vivid glow, standing almost directly over her prone form with a sneer on his perfect face. Kagome huffed. "Yes. I can read, write, and do mathematical equations you will not even hope to grasp even in half a millenium," she said with her own mocking smile.

Sesshoumaru growled and glared at her. "I see. You can do all that, but you cannot listen to a command issued by my father?"

Kagome had enough sense to look abashed, and turned away from his gaze. "I like to be outside. I need to see the stars or I get restless. I'm not used to spending so much time indoors."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head to the side, and Kagome thought of a puppy. She swallowed her amusement as best she could and tried to focus on his words instead. "Why not? What do you do that you spend such time outdoors?"

"You can sit down, you know. It's rude to stand over a person like this."

Sesshoumaru snorted derisively but acquiesced to her request gracefully, dropping into a lotus position beside her. He cocked a single brow at her to remind her of his unanswered question. She rolled her eyes and sat up.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. There was… a magickal artifact. Because of me, it was broken into many pieces, and so for the last five summers I have worked to recover them. This led to many, _many _nights outdoors with my companions."

"Ah, I see then. Why would something so basic take so long?"

"We - my friends and I, that is - were not the only ones after them. The pieces gave demons and humans alike great strength, but it was tainted power. There was one particular demon that was after it most of all, and the scales tipped back and forth many times before we were able to defeat him."

"Your friends, you say? Does this include this Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome smiled a little. "No… not for a long while. You and I have only been friends for a bit longer than a summer now."

"Why is that?"

"You are far too curious, Sesshoumaru."

"And you are far too stubborn, woman."

"How do you figure?"

He shrugged dramatically, or at least dramatically for what Kagome was used to. "Because you avoid my questions."

Kagome snorted in a very unladylike way. "I have answered all but one, Sesshoumaru. I am pushing luck by telling you anything of my life, since it crosses your own so often."

"And why would it be wrong to tell me? I know that you told my father things of his life, for he has been very contemplative since you arrived."

"Yes, I did, but not intentionally. Mattaki is just too intelligent for his own good." She glanced at the youkai from the corner of her eye. "I can't risk telling you of things that are coming, because I know many things of your future. Though not in detail, I know several, if not all of the life-changing events of the next five hundred summers for you. Some, you would try to change if you knew. Others, you may not intentionally, but they may not happen. And these things must happen to have led to the ending I know. I can't risk you unwriting my existence. I am afraid that it would make time collapse on itself or something, because if you changed something that caused me not to come here, then you would not know to change anything… it's complicated, you know?"

Sesshoumaru scowled, but seemed to understand her implications. He laid back into the plush flowers. Kagome was about to join him when her eyes fully alighted on his frame, taking the time to look at him for the first time since her arrival. There were few physical differences in this youkai and hers, as she affectionately referred to the Sesshoumaru of the Feudal Era, but the subtle distinctions were enough. His hair hardly reached the small of his back, and his structure was slightly smaller and more delicate everywhere. He was shorter in build, slimmer, and even his aura held a youth and purity she never imagined Sesshoumaru had possessed. The death of his mother really _had _changed him irrevocably.

Realizing she was staring, Kagome flared red and plopped back into the blossoms, staring up at the bright night sky. She sighed. "I love the stars."

Her companion grunted in response and continued his mental retreat. He was mulling over things he could safely ask the enigma that laid so casually beside him without breeching the boundaries she had put forth, and all the while trying to ignore the pull of her. Her scent, her eyes, her smiles… it all called to him in some primal way that he found hard to ignore. Though, like his parents, he found no faults in humans simply for their birth, he simply felt them inferior to himself. But this girl…

He shook off the train of thought before it could continue, and dawned on an interesting question. "Miko, you say that this Sesshoumaru tries to kill you when we first meet, correct?"

Kagome turned on her side to face her companion, propping herself up on an elbow. Yes, she had told him that, figuring that would happen whether she said it or not. She had been holding Tessaiga at the time, and Sesshoumaru was a bit insane with lust for the fang. "Yes… what's your point?"

"Though my opinion of you is very little at this moment, I do not feel that if I saw you again I would attempt to take your life. Are you not possibly changing things just by simply speaking to me in a friendly manner?"

Kagome paled. She really had not considered that. Her mind raced. Was she, in fact, changing things which had already happened? For her, at least. What if Sesshoumaru, in fact, had not tried to kill her those times? She supposed that wouldn't matter, they would still not be on very good terms since he was trying to kill InuYasha even when not trying to kill her. So, would a budding friendship with the future lord in this era change things? Kagome gulped.

"I really don't know, Sesshoumaru, but I think it would be too hard on my sanity to not speak to you at all. You may not know me, but I do know you."

Sesshoumaru was silent for a long time before he responded, his voice barely over a whisper. "I can imagine that it would be difficult."

"Yes," she said with a nod. "It is. To find someone you know, someone who you've confided your secrets to... but they know nothing about you? It isn't easy."

Sesshoumaru appeared to be staring at the sky, but his gaze was on the thoughtful face of the woman next to him. "Then why not tell me things? I do not like to be puzzled, and you puzzle me."

Kagome laughed lightly, keeping her gaze on the sky. "I am the miko Kagome."

"I know that."

"So? Now your turn."

"My turn?"

"Yes, now you tell me something. Quid pro quo and all that."

Sesshoumaru gave the girl an incredulous look, but decided to play along. "I am Sesshoumaru, son of the Inu no Taisho."

"I watch the stars almost every night, hoping for a shooting star to wish on."

"What would you wish for?"

Kagome turned her head slightly. "No questions."

"Fine," Sesshoumaru harrumphed. "I watch the stars because my mother told me our futures are written in them, and I hope someday to decipher it." He found it easier to simply play off whatever she said.

"I once fell asleep in a hot spring in the dead of winter and almost drowned."

He stifled a laugh at this. "I once fell into a hot spring when I was a pup, and my father had to jump in after me to pull me out."

Kagome grinned, but her smile quickly faded. "I watched my best friend die." She wasn't sure why she had said that, but this game was best played just saying whatever came to mind.

Sesshoumaru's small smile faded as well. "My uncle died to save me from a wolf youkai when I was a newborn."

"I once saved the world from an all consuming evil," Kagome said seriously, shuddering as she thought back to Naraku.

"I once saved my father from an assassin." He had only been a child then, and it ended up being his first kill.

Kagome decided it was time to lighten back the mood. "I once kissed a very stubborn youkai, then yelled at him and ran away." Kagome smiled secretively at that announcement. No harm in telling him that, was there?

Sesshoumaru, for the first time in his life, felt a stirring of jealousy in the pit of his stomach. He wondered on this, but simply chalked it up to that she had been covered in his scent when she first arrived. "Who?"

"I told you, no questions."

"Well you will answer that one, wench!"

Kagome scowled. They had been getting on so well! She stuck out her tongue childishly. "I will not."

"Then I am going inside."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Fine."

She watched as he rose and stomped away, and a heavy sigh escaped her chest. She had meant to make him curious, not angry. No longer happy to lie in the garden, Kagome grabbed up her book and trudged back inside, not caring that the guards scowled at her upon reentry. She just wanted to sleep. Youkai be damned.

* * *

Kagome shouldered her bow and arrows with a happy bounce, slipping on her sneakers. For the first time since her arrival, she was adorned in her modern jeans and a tee-shirt, for comfort, since she had finally convinced Mattaki to let her leave with him on patrol. She was looking forward to some time with the legend, and she could really use the time away from the castle. She had not left its walls since she had arrived at the House of the Moon nearly two months prior, and she was seriously eager for some butt-kicking.

A few years ago, had someone asked her if she enjoyed fighting, she would have given a vehement no in response, and been deeply offended at the inquiry. While she still treasured life and hated to kill even the mindless demons that happened upon her, she no longer hesitated. She enjoyed the release that came with a fight, her instincts in high gear. So long as she did not go out and kill a demon that was simply minding its own business, she saw nothing wrong with it.

Perhaps going on patrol with Mattaki could be construed as looking for a fight, and in a way it was. But she was not going to rain her holy arrows down on every beast she saw, she simply wished to assist Mattaki (as if he needed assistance) in keeping the youkai at bay. It was his job as Lord of the West to look for any disturbances, and she was merely someone along for the ride.

Kagome walked through the halls with a lightness running through her that had not been present since a few days prior when Sesshoumaru had left her in the garden. He hadn't spoken to her since, and it had been weighing on her heavily. She would not apologize for baiting him, but she felt badly nonetheless. Had she already ruined a chance to start their friendship off early?

She entered the courtyard where she was to meet Mattaki, trying to disband her thoughts of Sesshoumaru, when she saw him. She was surprised she noticed him, under a very late blooming sakura tree far to her right, but it seemed she always had a Sesshoumaru radar. She felt the instant her heart broke.

The female youkai beside him was obviously nobility, perhaps some princess or another, beauty and aristocracy pouring off her in waves. Her dark blue hair cascaded over her shoulders, and Kagome watched the prince beside her run his claws down her cheek in a gentle manner. She couldn't look away as he leaned in to kiss her, and she couldn't even bring herself to cry. Why did it hurt so much? He was not hers, especially not in this era. Perhaps in the Feudal Era she might have had some rights to be jealous, but here?

She watched them embracing, mouths pressed together hungrily, and finally a tear fell from her eyes. She finally understood that Kagura had been right. She really had been falling in love with him over the last year, hadn't she? Her heart did not distinguish between this Sesshoumaru and her Sesshou, because she was having problems doing it as well. So seeing him there, in the arms of a beautiful woman, her heart simply wept and shattered, forcing her to witness the perceived betrayal.

It did not matter to her broken heart that this Sesshoumaru had not been the one she had spent time with, the one who had protected her, the one that kissed away her tears. It did not matter that, for this Sesshoumaru, those events would not happen for several centuries still. All that mattered was that her silver-haired inuyoukai was wrapped up intimately with a woman that was not her. The tears fell faster as she was finally able to rip her gaze away.

She ran the way she had been heading, and tore past stunned guards and out of the castle gates. She had to get away, as far away as she could. In her rational mind, she was rather disgusted by how easy she was to devastate. She had always known he had been with another when he was younger, he had told her that he had once been in love. So how could she be upset? She knew they did not stay together, because she was certainly not there in the future. Perhaps she was killed? In any case, she was meant to be. Kagome's broken heart willed itself to turn to dust. She just had to get sent to the right point in his life where he was with her, didn't she?


	21. Buried

Disclaimer: Nope. Nothing's changed. I do, though, own my laptop. Sweeeet.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 21 - Buried_

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Sesshoumaru pulled away from the woman he had been toying with as he caught the salty tang of tears with another familiar scent along with it. When he turned, all he saw was a fumbling streak of blue and black as Kagome dashed out the castle gates. With her, the smell of tears faded, and it was obviously her who had shed them. But why?

The bitch beside him was bold and tried to re-ensnare him, but he shook her off. She was some daughter of a high ranking Southern baron whose father had been trying to get him to mate for a decade now. Though she was attractive, she was like every other high-bred youkai woman: a bauble. She had no thoughts of her own, no fire, no intellect.

He would never enter a life bond with a pretty brainless twit, especially not one of the ones that became aroused just by his presence. Though he knew he was attractive, he knew the real reason for their stimulation was power. The prospect of being the one-day Lady of the Western Lands was an enticing one, and he had been having women shoved on him by every male of high birth in Nippon. The idea of becoming, even by mating, related to the family of the Inu no Taisho was appealing to all breeds.

None of the trifling women had ever caught his attention longer than for a quick rut, and even that had only been since he reached of age for mating a few decades prior. He was thoroughly disgusted by all of them, and often found himself believing he would just end up finding a concubine to produce him an heir if the need ever arose rather than stooping into the petty politics of taking one of the ridiculous bitches. That seemed a much more appetizing concept.

Now though, he was stuck. His beast was pulling him, snarling to go after the human woman who had run out unprotected. If she didn't stop before passing off of the lake path, she would be in a very dangerous forest. His more calculating mind was disgusted that his youkai gave a damn what happened to her, though if he were to be honest with himself he was just as worried. What had made her cry?

Finally, Sesshoumaru broke down into a sprint after her, leaving perplexed guards and a raging youkai woman staring after him. He darted down the path around the lake's shores, dodging merchants and peasants come for daily life in the castle's town. No one saw but a blur of silver white as he ran, using the full capabilities of his youkai speed.

He had stalled too long while arguing with himself, and now she was nowhere in sight as he reached the beginnings of the forest. He stopped to sniff, instantly smelling the girl's fresh, stormy scent and took off after it. He didn't have to go far before he caught the reek of a demon and fresh human blood.

As he broke into the clearing he took in the scene before him quickly. A disfigured purple ogre towered over her broken form, which only held a couple superficial wounds. But it was her face that worried him most. She lay there, staring up at the face of her attacker, with something sickeningly like acceptance on her face.

Sesshoumaru yelled and struck out with his Dokkatsu, his claws severing the beast's head from its body. It had been weak even for a lower demon, surely a miko of her power could have purified him easily? She didn't even look to her savior, instead she continued staring up through the trees despondently.

He knelt before her, and without thinking tucked a stray lock of hair behind her rounded ear, watching her stare away from him. He had been about to lift her when she started speaking. "What in the hell do you want?"

Sesshoumaru flinched at the venom in her tone. "You are injured, I will take you back to the palace now."

"You should have just left me out here; your woman will not be pleased that you ran off to help a mortal."

Now, Sesshoumaru was not the brightest when it came to the inner workings of a woman, but he knew the tone of resentment anywhere. He pulled back his clawed hand, which he had just noticed was still against her cheek, and frowned deeply. Why was she envious? He voiced this question, though it probably wasn't the best thing he could have done.

"Envious?" she laughed humorlessly. "Because I am an idiot. You aren't him."

"I am not who? You make little sense."

That was probably the wrong thing to say, for she seemed to get a tad hysterical. "You aren't _you_! And you won't be for _years_."

"What does this have to do with why you ran crying from the protection of the castle?"

Kagome finally looked at him, her eyes dancing with fury. "Do you know the last thing you said to me before I came here? 'You will see me soon, my love.' Moron! You _knew _where I was going, you knew the crap I would have to go through, and you didn't warn me! If I ever get back to the Feudal Era, I am not going to know whether to kiss you or kill you! I think I am going to borrow Sango's Hiraikotsu and bash your head in! Bastard!"

Sesshoumaru sat stunned at the revelations. Not only had she just told him that his future self had referred to her as his beloved, but she was speaking of wanting to kiss him, whether angry or not. He was now intrigued by what part in his life this little woman would play. First things first, though of course. "What does this have to do with you crying? What made you weep?"

Kagome shook her head minutely and pinched her eyes shut hard, a few stray tears squeezed out from the corners. He doubted that someone with human hearing would have heard her whisper. "Because, like I said, I'm stupid. Just because I know you aren't him doesn't make it hurt any less to see the man I was falling in love with devouring the face of some woman. I can't make myself come to terms with the fact that you are not him, and you will not be him for a long time. You are not the man I was falling for, and I have no right to be upset with what you do. I am sorry to disturb you. Just leave me in peace, please."

Sesshoumaru had absolutely no idea what to say. He sat bewildered by everything she had told him, his mouth slightly agape, staring at the closed eyes of the mortal before him. Someday, in the future, he was going to be in love with a mortal. He knew this, because he had long ago vowed to never speak words of love lightly. So someday, he would be in love with a mortal, time-traveling, argumentative miko, and she would be falling for him. It was a lot to take in.

He had no idea what to do with this. So, the Western Prince did the only thing he could think of and scooped her against his unarmored chest and began the trek back to the House of the Moon. She struggled against him for a few moments out of pride, but exhaustion coupled with the injuries the demon had inflicted on her won out, and she leaned her drying face against the crook of his neck. "This would be more comfortable with your fluffy-pelt-thing, I wonder when you're gonna get it?"

Sesshoumaru rose his eyebrows. "Traditionally, a pelt is given on the second centennial celebration of the Prince's birth."

The miko was beginning to drift off, but mustered the energy to blow out a hot breath, tickling his throat. "Stupid, you could have just said 'On my 200th birthday' but no, you enjoy being difficult. That will never change."

"Go to sleep, Kagome."

Said girl sighed and snuggled more comfortably against him before stiffening. "You just said my name."

"So I did."

Little known to the other, each smiled softly, and Kagome finally fell asleep.

* * *

Kaori sat curled into her mate's lap on the castle wall, looking east as they waited for the sun to rise. Since youkai needed little sleep, they always woke before sunrise and watched it together. Even after over four hundred years as mates they still did; there was something enchanting about the rising sun and the banishment of night.

Mattaki propped his chin on his lady's head and sighed. "Those two fought again yesterday, though I think that they may be making improvements."

Kaori quirked an eyebrow in question. "What this time, my love?"

"I was correct that in the future they are more than platonic. The child came upon our son and Baron Damemaru's daughter, I believe, because Sesshoumaru smelt like the twit. I only heard part of the conversation, but apparently before coming here she was rather falling in love with our son, and he was already in love with her. It's a pity she was torn away."

Kaori sighed. "The poor thing. No wonder she's taken Sessy's attitude so badly. She would be so good for him."

"True, but she is still a human. He would be very upset to lose her so quickly."

"I think that would not stop him from loving her, my lord."

"I agree. But I think young Sesshoumaru is having a change of heart. He's already been interested in her unwillingly, I've seen him brooding, but I think perhaps from now on he will indulge himself and allow himself to treat her at least civilly."

"It would be a good match; she is intelligent and kind. Our son needs something more than the woman of the courts can give him."

"I agree, my mate."

"I just hope he realizes what he has soon so the poor girl need not suffer."

"I think he will. She is a jewel in disguise. She has fire and wit, but retains a pure and loving soul. She is very much like Midoriko."

"I miss her so much sometimes. I understand her sacrifice, but it took a light from us all."

The sun broke the horizon and banished every vestige of night's shadow. The West may have been the Kingdom of the Moon, but the beauty of the morning was not lost on its rulers. As the spectacle ended, Mattaki rose up, his mate cradled in his arms, and sauntered back to the castle. Breakfast would soon be served.

* * *

After lunch, Kagome found herself in the cheerful company of the Lady of the West, who was humming sweetly under her breath. Kagome smiled as she watched her thumb through various kimonos, pulling one out every so often and holding it to her front. Kagome would then nod or shake her head, and there were two steadily growing piles of silk on the floor of Kaori's closet. 'Closet' was a term Kagome would not have used, considering it was bigger than her bedroom back home.

After an hour of joking and comparisons, Kaori had had enough. "That's it, I have nothing to wear!"

Kagome looked incredulously at the several six-foot piles of kimonos. "What is this for, again?"

Her friend huffed and dropped to her side, her head in her hands. "I hate these banquets, but we are forced into them. The Lady and children of the South are obnoxious, the Lady of the North is a gossiping hag and her daughters might as well be common whores for the way they attach themselves to my Sessy. I don't mind the Eastern Lady, but her mate is a boorish braggart. I hate being anywhere near these people, but every decade we have these stupid functions. Tradition, you know?" Kaori raised a hand and waved it around dismally.

Kagome sighed and rubbed Kaori's back. "Why not get a new outfit, then? It would make you feel better, I bet! Maybe something in a purple, it would bring out your eyes."

Kaori looked into the human girl's eyes with a hopeful gaze. "You're right! That would make me feel better… oh, my dear, you need something to wear, too!"

Kagome gulped and laughed uncomfortably. "Umm… that's really not necessary…"

"Heavens, of course it is! You are an honored guest! We shall both have new kimonos made, and we shall be the beauties of the ball." Kaori's eyes had taken on a far-off cast and Kagome could almost see the hearts and stars surrounding her.

"Err, I thought it was just a banquet?"

"Well, it is, but there is dancing!"

Kagome groaned silently. "Sounds like fun?"

Kaori became quiet and contemplative rather suddenly, but Kagome missed the mischievous smirk in her lavender eyes. "Kagome?"

"Yes, Kaori?"

"Would you be willing to do this old dog a favor?"

Kagome scoffed. "Don't say things like that. And of course I would, I owe so much to you and your mate, you have both been so kind to me! What do you need?"

"About two-days journey from here is a youkai village, and my favorite seamstress resides there. With the preparations for the banquet, I cannot go to her myself… and I trust your judgment above that of a maid. Would you go to her and order our new outfits made?"

"…Are you sure, Kaori? I would hate to chose badly and disappoint you…"

"You could never!"

Kagome sighed and tried not to blame Midoriko for this as well. "All right, all right, it would be an honor, my lady. When do you wish for me to leave?"

"Morning, so that they will have time to complete the projects in time for next week. For now, though, it is dinnertime." Kaori waved at the silken piles, ushering nearby servants to clean their frantic lady's mess.

The two walked lightly through the halls and into the dining hall, already awaited by the men. "I am sorry, my dears, but Kagome and I got a little tied up."

"Or buried," Kagome said with a small grin.

The men looked questioning, but Kaori just laughed and took her seat beside Mattaki, grinning at him conspiratorially, "My love, Kagome-chan has offered to go to Futaridori to petition me a new kimono for the banquet! I, of course, demanded she get one made for herself as well. That is all right, is it not?"

Mattaki grinned and gave her a chaste kiss. "Of course it is, I spare no expense for my family, and the young Kagome is quickly worming her way into mine. I may never get a daughter, but it is good to know what it would be like to have one." Kagome blushed heavily but smiled happily up at him. "But, I am afraid I do not like the idea of her going to Futaridori alone, my love. There are many youkai there who would attack her simply for being a priestess."

Kaori blanched and scratched the back of her head apologetically. "Umm… I think I forgot she was human…"

Everyone stifled a groan. Mattaki stroked her hand lovingly. "No worries, she will just send with her an escort, to make sure it is known she is not to be harmed."

"Mm, wonderful idea, my mate. Who will you send? Gyaku perhaps? He is very loyal."

"No, considering the price of the items she will be returning with, and her worth by herself, I have only one person I would trust with her."

"Who?"

Kagome looked up and saw the cunning twinkle in Mattaki's eyes as he smiled sweetly, fangs glinting in the magicked light. "Who else, my mate? Sesshoumaru, you shall leave with the Lady Kagome on the morrow."


	22. Control

Disclaimer: No own, though I do wish I owned some allergy meds. Every time I go out to smoke I end up sneezing like crazy! Damn Washington and the fluffy cotton thingies…in my 7 years in Cali I forgot how annoying Hayfever was. -dies-

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 22 - Control_

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In all people's lives there is a turning point. This is the point in time in which even in death a person can look back on their lives and know that from that point forward, their life had changed its course. For Kagome, this had been the day she had fallen into the Bone Eater's Well and unpinned the hanyou InuYasha from the Goshinboku. From that day forward she had ceased being a normal modern teen and instead become a catalyst for all things good and evil.

She was a target and always had been. From the Mistress Centipede to the Dark Miko Tsubaki to Naraku to Midoriko, she seemed to be the centerpiece for all events. Why? What had she done to deserve the center stage? Why had she never been asked if she wanted it? Instead she was tossed headfirst into strange adventures, the tragic heroine of her very own fairytale.

She had often wondered what her life would have been like if she never would have gone to get Buyo from the well house. She would have gone to school, kept up her grades, graduated at the top of her class, dated Hojou, gone to some prestigious university, and remained blissfully unaware of magicks and demons and days upon days of walking in the blistering summer heat.

Then again, she might have been hit by a car and killed the same day she would have fallen down the well. Who knew?

At this moment, it was the walking-in-the-scorching-heat part of her complaints that was eating at her. They had been walking since dawn and it was already well past noon, and Sesshoumaru seemed perfectly content to just walk silently ahead of her. Yes, she knew youkai were not as affected by temperatures, and she knew he was still pissed off that his parents had made him escort her, but was any of that her fault?

"Sesshoumaru?"

"What?" He didn't turn to look at her.

"Is there a source of water nearby? I need to cool down badly."

Kagome heard him snort. "It is not any problem of mine if your frail mortal body cannot keep on."

"But it will be when I die from dehydration and heatstroke, idiot! Find me water!"

"This Sesshoumaru has already been made into a guard dog today, he will not become your puppy as well," he growled out.

"Please, Sesshou! I can't take this anymore, I haven't had anything to drink all day and its disgustingly hot! I want a nice cold bath!"

Sesshoumaru growled low in his chest and narrowed his eyes at the pleading girl. Her large blue eyes shimmered and she chewed her lower lip with hope shining on her face, and he found himself unable to refuse her. He sighed out loud and pulled his long hair over his shoulder, crouching to the ground.

She did not take the hint, so he looked back over his shoulder at her shocked face. "Woman, this will be a lot faster and I grow weary of waiting on you."

Kagome could not believe her eyes. Sesshoumaru, feared future Lord of the West, and even as his one and only friend she had never even dared to imagine asking for something like this, wanted her to ride on his back. Kagome wasn't sure whether to shout in glee or feel afraid. She chose to do neither and wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to extend his elegant clawed hands around her thighs, both of them shivering just a little at the contact.

He had been right, of course; a trip which would have taken another ten or fifteen minutes on foot took less than two clung to the damnably comfortable back of her companion. His silken hair caressed her face and she was having a very difficult time ignoring how wonderful his muscles felt bunching beneath her… that is, she was having a difficult time until she was unceremoniously dumped on her back end on the bank of a stream. Kagome glared.

"You could have just let me down, you know," she said, dropping her backpack beside her.

"Could have, but did not."

Her glare deepened and she huffed loudly as she stood. "Well, fine. Just… go away so I can cool off in peace."

Sesshoumaru growled. "You will not order me around."

"I will too, now go before I find some way to make you a komodota rosary!"

"A… what?"

"Ask InuYasha and me in about five hundred years, and we'll be happy to demonstrate."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes dangerously, his already worn patience for the day paper thin. "I do not like being left in the dark, miko."

"It's actually rather light out here, youkai."

"Show respect, bitch." Sesshoumaru desperately reigned his youkai, his eyes bleeding red at the corners.

"I will not, you pompous ass!" Internally, Kagome decided she had spent far too much time in InuYasha's company over the prior years, because when her temper overcame her it was seriously difficult not to tap into the new dictionary he had so graciously helped her to acquire.

Kagome noticed the gradual tint of his eyes, but this was nothing new to her. Especially in her captivity and a few times thereafter, she had angered him enough to bring out his more bestial side, but Sesshoumaru was nothing if not a creature of control. She tried to ignore the little voice in the back of her head that reminded her that he was centuries younger and that said control might not be so perfect, but it became difficult as his shoulders began to shake in his rage.

Kagome paled but did not back down from her snarling adversary. She had dealt with this before… though she was rather aware of the differences in this particular situation. This was not InuYasha, she could not 'sit' him or hug him into reality, and she was really, really angry. Sure, she could back off and lower her head submissively, but she would be damned if she would let him better of her. So instead, she tilted up her chin and raised her lip in a very unimpressive human version of a snarl right back at him.

That was a terrible idea on Kagome's part. She wasn't even able to blink before he had her on her back on the edges of the stream, straddling her. Her wrists were pinned over her head in the cold water. He lowered his snarling face to her. "Submit, bitch."

She locked her stormy blue eyes with his scarlet ones, any predilection for fear forgotten, and Kagome writhed under hi., "Forget that!" She felt his claws puncture the delicate flesh around her wrists, but paid it no heed. Kagome kicked and squealed for all she was worth. "Let me go, you jerk!"

The snarl was completely inhuman now, and he nipped her jaw hard enough to break skin, only making Kagome kick harder at him. His hand that was not clamped against her wrists backhanded her harshly. "_Sumbit to your better_, wench!"

Kagome's head was spinning from the force of the blow, and she was no longer able to pick it up from where it laid to the side. Something akin to a whimper escaped her as she tried to regain her foothold on consciousness, and her adrenaline-fueled breathing came in pants.

In the next moments, precisely two thoughts entered Kagome's head simultaneously. One was that inuyoukai had rougher tongues than she'd realized, and the other was a panicky little squeal in the recesses of her mind that informed her that, yes, Sesshoumaru was licking her.

In a normal situation, Kagome felt she would not have minded this development, considering the sparks it sent shooting through her body. Though the owner and action were distinctly canine, the action was soft and languid.

Through her lustful thoughts, though, was the very real knowledge that the man sitting on her waist giving her the delicious tingles had just hit her, hard. She had never let anyone hit her and not get purified directly after! Now, in this age that was rather acceptable though lacking in honor, and normal women just took it, but she was not a woman of this age. And she did not take crap.

Purposefully locking away all traitorous, pleasant thoughts, Kagome shoved away the now relaxed demon and backed away… into the stream. Well, she'd wanted to cool off, hadn't she? She stayed there, waist deep in the cold water staring at the inuyoukai directly in the eye as she waited for his beast's control to fade. Sure, she knew it was not Sesshoumaru's fault, just as it was not InuYasha's fault when he did things when his demon nature took over, but that would not stop her from being very upset with him. After all, as a full demon, he had knowledge of his actions while his youkai was in control, it was just instinct driven.

As Sesshoumaru's eyes finally faded to their usual tawny gold, he was met with a disheveled and glaring Kagome. The side of her face was an angry shade of red, and he winced for her. He knew exactly what he'd done, "Kagome, I…"

She held up a sopping arm. "Don't. Just don't. Go away now, please."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "No, I won't. You are going to let me apologize."

"No, I am not. I don't want your apology, I just want to be alone, alright?"

He winced again, this time sorrowfully. "Please, Kagome, I am very sorry… I did not intend for that to happen."

She shook her head vehemently. "No! Just don't, okay?"

Deciding to give her time to cool off, he rose to his feet and walked away from the stream, leaving Kagome to peel out of her saturated tee and jeans. She had planned to change into something cooler anyway, but that did not make her feel any better. Logically, she was well aware that she shouldn't hold it against him. To top it all off, he'd even apologized sincerely to her! How could she really stay angry at him? She would certainly make it clear that there was no way he'd _ever_ get away with that again, but she wasn't a youkai. She really couldn't fathom the kind of control it must take to keep such instincts and urges suppressed.

Kagome glared and finished her cooling dip, not even bothering to get out her soap. When she was finished, she selected a thinner pair of pants and a tank top, though she was loathe to wear it. It hadn't taken her long in her travels in the Feudal Era to realize exactly how she was viewed in her skimpy futuristic clothing, and opted to keep her legs and shoulders covered, at least. But they would not arrive in the village until sometime tomorrow, so she thought it alright to wear something to keep her cooled off.

The afternoon went on in silence that was unnerving to even Sesshoumaru. He hated to admit it even to himself, but he missed her chatter after only a few hours. He snuck a glance from the corner of his eye for the fiftieth time in as many moments, and was caught again. She stopped in mid-stride and placed her hands on her hips.

"Sesshoumaru, why do you keep looking at me?"

He wanted to glare, but the memory of what he had done was a hardly faded red across her face and several scabbed wounds, so he diverted his gaze. "You are being unnaturally quiet."

"I thought you would prefer that."

"Hn."

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Well, if you want me to talk, let's talk then."

"I am sorry for earlier…"

She sighed deeply. "No, don't apologize, really. After dealing with InuYasha all those years, you'd think I would know better than to challenge a raging youkai. If I could forgive him, I can forgive you. Just... don't do that again. If you hit me, I will hit you back and it will be with holy power on my fingertips. I'm not like the women in this time. So let's just forget it, okay?"

Sesshoumaru nodded and they started walking in a much less awkward silence before he spoke again. "Who is InuYasha? You have spoken of him several times."

Kagome stumbled and he could smell the fear and uncertainty pouring off her. Obviously this was something he could not overly question. She spoke slowly. "My best friend, an inuhanyou. You did not like him very much, but neither of you would ever tell me why you hated each other so badly."

"Ah. Then would that be why you and I were not friends for a long period of time?"

Kagome smiled, glad he did not question further about InuYasha. That was dangerous territory. "Yes, it is."

"Tell me…" Sesshoumaru paused as they walked, as if choosing his words carefully. "How am I seen, when you know me? Am I well known?"

His companion took a sharp breath, a hissing sound, and Sesshoumaru braced himself for the worst. Kagome mulled over what she could possibly say… but she guessed the truth wouldn't hurt. The events to come would make him into this, regardless of her prior information. She sighed. "You are feared. I think there are few beings in all the territories who do not know your name, and just to hear it strikes fear into most. I was once attacked by a lesser youkai while I was on my own, and all I had to say was that I was under your protection, and out of the fear of it being true and the traces of your scent on me at the time, he left me be. Your efficiency in battle is legend and few are stupid enough to challenge you, and you are seen as a cold-hearted murderer. I admit to having thought the same."

Sesshoumaru was shocked, to say the least. At the moment, he was skilled at hand-to-hand combat, yes, but he was hardly to par with _legend._ It was something to look forward to. But cold? "Why cold-hearted?"

Kagome laughed ruefully. "You show no emotion but to mock those at your mercy, mostly InuYasha. You kill any who get in your way and show no remorse. You let no one close to you, ever. Until I got to know you, I despised all you were, until I finally saw beneath the masks. Then I saw a totally different person. That is why seeing you this way is hard for me… your smile is rather amazing." Realizing what she said Kagome blushed fiercely. "I-I mean, to see it at all, because I hardly ever have and never so freely!"

Sesshoumaru chuckled. "I understood, though if you find me handsome you needn't lie so boldfaced."

The blush darkened and she walked on, mumbling under her breath about jerks and arrogant princes. Amused, Sesshoumaru followed for several minutes in contented silence before she spoke again. Night was falling, and they paced side by side in the growing dimness.

"I once saved a young fox youkai and, after several years, he became like my child."

Sesshoumaru smiled, hoping this game would end better than the last. "I once saved a newborn drago. from a predator and kept it as a pet."

"Ohh!" she exclaimed. "Ah-Un?"

"I thought you said no questions?"

She scowled. "I'll let you ask one if you answer mine."

"Fine, yes Ah-Un. You know them then?"

"Yes, I do. They like potato chips."

"Potato… chips?"

She giggled. "Yep. Too bad I don't have any left… you'll have to wait a few centuries to try one." He did not seem satisfied, but Kagome continued anyway. "I have pretended I was ill to get out of my studies."

"I injured myself to get out of mine many times."

This provoked another giggle. "Nice. I lied to my best friend once to save his heart."

"I lied to my parents to keep a guard from possible execution."

"I have pulled a sword from a stone, where others could not even touch it," she said, imagining what he would think hundreds of years hence if he remembered her words.

"I once put a sword through a tree to anger my father during training."

As she opened her mouth to give her next 'secret', Kagome yawned impossibly wide, her arms stretched over her head. Sesshoumaru noted this. "We will make camp now."

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Sesshou."

After a quick dinner, when she was curled within her thin blanket next to a small fire, she smiled at him. "Goodnight."

"Not yet."

"Why not?" she asked, raising her head.

"You gave me a question."

Kagome groaned. "Go ahead, then."

"Who was it you kissed and ran from?"

Kagome stilled and forgot to breathe, her face turning a brilliant red. "Why do you have to ask _that_?"

"Because you would not tell me before."

She sighed and mumbled incoherently. "Itwasmmphper…"

"I did not hear you."

"Arg! You already know, anyway, I know you're not stupid. _You_, obviously. Now goodnight!"

Kagome hid her head under her blanket, and missed the wide grin that spread over Sesshoumaru's face. It was probably lucky she missed it, for she might have fainted from the sight of such a smile gracing those lips that were currently in her mind, no thanks to the bearer of them. He looked down at the little bundle she made on the mossy ground and his grin faded to soft smile. "Goodnight, Kagome."


	23. Fascination

Disclaimer: No own.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 23 - Fascination_

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When morning came, Kagome slipped on a much more traditional summer kimono and slippers before they began traveling once again. Sesshoumaru had said they would arrive before noon, and Kagome was eager to get her task over with.

"Hey, Sesshou?"

He growled at the name but did not comment. "Yes?"

"Your mother said it would be a two day journey, but it was hardly more than one. "

"My mother told you in the way she would travel. I have much affection for my mother, and she is very intelligent, but she has never been much for travel or the wilds. She would have stopped every hour and tarried about, examining plant life or resting in the trees."

"Ah, okay then. Well, the sooner we get back the better, huh?"

Sesshoumaru agreed, but he was aware of an ever-growing part of him that was actually enjoying being alone with the girl. No training, no responsibilities… just her. And he found his joy in his companion outweighing his joy for the lack of duties. That was cause for hesitation.

Only a week ago he would have sooner left the girl in the woods alone, but now he found himself actually enjoying her company to the point of craving more of it. When she smiled, he couldn't help smirking back, and when she laughed he felt lighter somehow. And when he had realized he had harmed her, he would have apologized in front of all the palace guards and nobility to make her forgive him. What was this?

Thankfully, the place where he had struck her had not bruised and was only a memory now. She still had a partially healed cut on her jaw and some punctures on her wrists, but a jolt of miko powers had helped them nicely. He was so lost in her thoughts, he did not notice they had arrived at the village until he felt an insistent tugging on his arm.

"Sesshoumaru, is this it?"

"Yes, it is."

Kagome gawked, only having been to one other youkai village in her tenure in the past. It was more advanced than human villages and much cleaner. Youkai of all breeds bustled around, though she noticed the majority of the population were inuyoukai. Seeing as they were so few in the Feudal Era, she marveled at them. She didn't notice the looks she was getting as she followed Sesshoumaru through the bustling town and to a medium sized hut.

"This is the seamstress's home. I will meet you back here for the noontime meal, but for now I have an aunt who would be very sore with me if I did not announce my presence in the village."

Kagome nodded and watched him walk away before entering, her eyes adjusting to the darker area. "Is someone here?"

"What do you need, human?" A proud, golden-haired inuyoukai asked from a table to the right side of the room where she sipped her tea.

She bowed at the waist in a quick movement before straightening. "I come here on the request of Lady Kaori. She needs a new kimono for the Decennial Banquet."

The woman rose and eyed her incredulously. "I would ask if you were her new handmaiden, but you lack the proper demeanor and groveling for that. And a miko, even? Were the rumors true then, is a miko really an honored guest of the Lord and Lady of the West?"

"I am," Kagome nudged the dirt floor with a toe nervously, "My lady asked if I would travel for her to choose her colors, because she could not come so close to the date of the event. And she wishes me to have one as well."

The seamstress stared at her, her golden eyes boring through Kagome. "You are a strange miko to keep the company of youkai."

Kagome laughed a little and smiled at the woman. "I have been told. But I keep the company of many different people… and I guess I just don't see why humans and youkai have to hate each other."

The woman's eyes narrowed before she smiled slightly. "Come, child, and we'll look through what material I have."

The pair walked into the back room, which was piled high with silks of every color and quality. Most of an hour later they had chosen the colors for each woman's kimono and Kagome was measured for her own before she was told to come back in two days time. Kagome thanked her and left the hut to look for Sesshoumaru.

She didn't get far before she noticed the open hostility directed at her, but this was nothing new. She had been receiving it at the castle since her arrival, and though she had befriended a large handful of the servants there, she knew it took time

She didn't see the approaching hebiyoukai guard until he was directly in front of her, his spear aimed at her abdomen. "Miko, what business have you in Futaridori?"

Kagome flinched at the predatory hiss accenting his words but met his glare with one of her own. "I am here for the Lady of these lands. Now, if you would kindly remove your weapon, I have to find someone."

The spear stayed where it was. "And why would our Lady send a human who is obviously not demure enough to be a servant to do her bidding?"

"You would have to ask her, snake, but she told me it was because she held trust in my judgment. Now, remove your weapon."

Kagome was loathe to use any semblance of her power in a demon village, but it couldn't be helped. The youkai was not lowering it and she was getting nervous at having something so pointy so close to her very poke-able stomach. She held out her hand near the spear and her palm was shimmering violet, and she held the snake's gaze, "If you will not remove it, I will make it so that you cannot wield it for several days. Purity burns hurt, I'm told, and they don't heal very easily."

She saw the snake gulp, but it was obviously not going to back down from a human. She hardly had to touch the metal point before the entire staff looked to be afire with violet sparks, and it clattered to the ground moments later. She almost gagged on the stench of burning flesh. The snake's eyes flared from yellow to black and he leapt blindly at her, which she dodged easily. She really, really didn't want to go killing youkai. This was turning out rather badly.

He leapt again, knocking into her, and she threw up her barrier; she then became aware of the large amount of unwanted attention she and the snake had attracted. She gritted her teeth in annoyance and tried not to show the pain it inflicted every time the stupid snake struck her barrier and looked past the group of onlookers to search for Sesshoumaru. Surely he had heard the commotion by now, hadn't he?

Another guard stepped forward, stopping her attacker and turning to her. His uniform told her that he was obviously a higher rank, a Captain perhaps. "How dare you, miko, enter our village? I should allow this fool to kill you where you stand for your stupidity alone."

Kagome glared. "I am here on official business, and your guard attacked me. He is lucky I didn't purify him!"

The Captain, a silver-haired inuyoukai, glowered at her, narrowing his green eyes dangerously. He sniffed the air around her - her barrier wasn't scent-proof - and his eyes flew open as he took a step back. With a precise strike, he had clobbered the hebiyoukai into unconsciousness nd dipped into a short bow. "I apologize for my guard, Lady Miko, he is a new recruit and snakes do not have much of a sense of smell."

"Smell?" Kagome quirked an eyebrow at the sudden reverse in attitude.

"If he did, he would have noticed that you have been in the company of the Western Prince. Again, I apologize."

Kagome smiled and patted his shoulder, and she saw the wish to recoil in the guards eyes. "No, don't worry about it. I deal with rash youkai and humans all the time, I'm rather used to it."

The Captain looked at her curiously and she flashed him a brilliant smile, winning her a small smirk in return. As he turned to walk away Kagome called him back. "Oh, wait! I am sorry to bother you, but do you happen to know where Sesshoumaru is? He said he'd meet me for lunch, and I don't know where he went to. We humans don't have much a sense of smell either."

His eyes widened a little and he nodded, beckoning her to follow him to where the prince's scent through town to the home of his mother's sister. He gestured towards the hut and bowed to Kagome, who smiled again and thanked him.

Kagome rang the hanging brass bell respectfully and fidgeted as she waited at the matted door. There was no response so she took to standing against a tree nearby, not wishing for a repeat of the earlier performance with the guards. She began picking at her fingernails in boredom, cleaning any acquired grime from beneath them and shifting her weight. She wanted food. And a bath. And a nap.

"Where in the heck are you, Sesshou?" she mumbled, closing her eyes to the sky and sighing deeply.

"Why do you smell like a reptile?" A smooth baritone awoke her from her daze moments later, and she snapped up her head to meet with Sesshoumaru's burning golden gaze.

"Some new recruit wouldn't take 'I'm not here to purify you so leave me alone' for an answer."

Sesshoumaru snorted. "You should have waited at Yamesho's hut and you would have avoided the confrontation. You really can't go more than a few minutes without getting in trouble, can you?"

"Well you weren't there yet, so I thought I'd look around a little," said Kagome, pouting a bit.

He rolled his eyes. "Come, my aunt has invited us in for lunch. We will also stay in her home this night."

Kagome nodded and fervently hoped there was a hot spring nearby. She would ask later. She followed after Sesshoumaru, around the back of the hut she had looked for him at minutes before and to a small but perfectly manicured garden. His aunt was obviously on his mother's side, because though her hair was golden her eyes were the same breathtaking lavender of Kaori.

Kagome bowed respectfully to the woman, who looked her over and smiled. "I see, so this is the miko I have heard so much about? Good to meet you dear, I am Neniki, sister to Lady Kaori. Now tell me, I am highly interested to know how a human miko came to be in the company of the lord and lady!"

She didn't need the warning glare from Sesshoumaru to tell her that she could not tell the whole truth. Not only did she not wish to reveal her origins to anyone but Mattaki, Kaori, and Sesshoumaru, but Neniki had the too-interested countenance of a gossip and would likely tell everyone her own version of the truth. Kagome smiled at her. "Mattaki saved me from a slave trader, and we became fast friends, as I did with Kaori and Sesshou here. I probably won't be staying too long, but I enjoy their company immensely." She grinned sweetly at Sesshoumaru, loving the glare from using her shortened version of his name.

Neniki seemed disappointed that it was such a boring story, and Kagome was thankful she wasn't looking for a lie. Kagome had always been a terrible liar. The three of them dined and chatted about menial matters, and darkness quickly chased them down.

Kagome turned in the firefly lit darkness. "Sesshou, is there a hot spring nearby? I haven't bathed since that creek on the way here, and I feel disgusting."

Both youkai's eyebrows disappeared into their hairline and Neniki blinked several times. "Am I to believe you bathe daily?"

"So long as I can manage it, most definitely! Where I come from, it is considered normal, and I really hate the dirty feeling I get after a day without one."

"If only the humans here took after that directive! Where is it that you come from?"

"Oh, it is far, far away, a place called Tokyo… I traveled here many years ago."

"It is on the mainland?"

"Ah, no, even farther," Kagome half-lied. She thought a thousand years was much farther than China.

"Goodness. Well, there is in fact a hot spring only a few minutes into the forest there," Neniki said, pointing. "I suggest my nephew to escort you. A miko anywhere near here is suspicious and a threat, so you could be targeted."

Kagome nodded and looked hopefully up to her friend, who sighed and gave the barest nod to her. With a happy (though annoying to both youkai) squeal she dug through her yellow bag and pulled out her hygiene supplies, skipping along after the pretty, bouncing silver hair of her guide.

The hot spring was small but serviceable and Kagome practically threw herself in once she'd explained the merits of modesty to Sesshoumaru and making him stay turned around. She sighed happily and worked the shampoo into her hair. She could hear Sesshoumaru sniffing. "Your soaps…they do not smell like normal soap. It is not as offensive."

Kagome nodded sagely, knowing he was referring to the usual lye soap of the time and its abrasive and strong smell. "These are from _my_ home… a millennia from now. It comes in many different scents, but InuYasha would always complain it was too strong, so I chose unscented. I am glad it meets to your standards," she said teasingly.

"Though on some humans it would be preferable to have soaps to cover their smell, yours is very pleasant. It would take away from it to cover it."

Kagome blushed prettily and rinsed her hair. Of course, in the future he would tell her the same thing, but it was somehow satisfying to hear it from this younger version of him as well. She smiled at his back and continued her bathing ritual in silence until another few sniffs were heard.

"I will be back shortly, there is something nearby. I will take care of it and return."

Kagome agreed and stepped out to dry herself, toweling her hair in content. As she started on her body, a loud crash resounded nearby and she wrapped the towel around her torso with a loud 'eep!'. She ran to the noise and found Sesshoumaru struggling to right himself after having been thrown into a tree. The youkai was some kind of weasel and darted quickly up to the inuyoukai for another blow, sending him back once again.

"Sesshou, use your youki whip!" she called, wishing she had had enough intelligence to bring her bow.

"No, I did not inherit it from my mother," he grunted, rolling away from a third blow.

"Bull! I have seen you use it a million times!"

Her cheerleading had roused the youkai to her, and it leapt to her partially nude form with a sneer. "What's this? A huan traveling with the Western Heir? I see you have the dogs' softness to mortals, do you not, young Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome glared and raised her now glowing hand. "Stay the hell away from me. And what right do you have to insult the Prince of these lands?"

The weasel struck out at her, knocking her on her back. She tried in vain to recover her stolen breath as it hovered over her prone form. "That bastard Mattaki killed my grandfather, he is not a worthy ruler for these lands! And as for the 'prince' here, just by being seen with a human is enough reason to judge his worthlessness."

During his rant Sesshoumaru had stood, and his anger was pouring off of him. Kagome tried to raise her powers around her, but she had hit hard on the ground and still could hardly suck in a breath. As the youkai rose an arm to strike her, a green flash of light sliced through it's furry body, giving Kagome the need for yet another bath.

"Never turn your back on your opponent, idiot," Sesshoumaru told its corpse.

Kagome, after whining about the weasel guts on her, smiled at him. "See, I told you."

Sesshoumaru looked away from his hand and to her, smiling back. "I thank you. I have been trying to call it for years, but we all just assumed I did not have it. I guess it was hearing that I did, if fact, surely have it that called it to me."

It was then they both took in Kagome's state of undress. She squeaked loudly and Sesshoumaru couldn't look away. The towel barely went to midthigh while standing, but in her propped up position on the ground, one leg was peering through the slit all the way to her hip, and her cleavage was pronounced with the way she was gripping the terrycloth.

Her blush spread from her cheeks and nose all the way down her neck to aforementioned cleavage and she found herself unable to move. Sesshoumaru forgot momentarily to breathe. Sure, she was splattered with youkai blood and was dirty from her meeting with the forest floor, but to him she was stunning. Her hair was still rather damp and clung to her shoulders and arms, and the light of the large moon shone in broken beams on her, giving her the appearance of a tragic heavenly maiden.

At the same time, they came back to themselves and Sesshoumaru turned his back while Kagome struggled to her feet, laughing nervously. "I think I need another bath now, but just a quick one to rinse. Mind reminding me which way I came in here?"

He nodded and passed her without an obvious glance, leading her back to the spring. He stayed nearby again, his back turned, but his heart was still pounding. What was she doing to him?


	24. Torrent

Disclaimer: No own. Nothing else to say.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 24 - Torrent_

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The second day in Futaridori had gone by uneventfully, the kimonos procured, and they had set off once again at the dusk of that second day, wishing to hurry back to the castle. Since Yamesho had completed her task early they wished to get away from Kaori's well-meaning but agitating sister without spending another evening in her home. The night was balmy, but Sesshoumaru's highly sensitive nose was soon upturned.

"What's wrong?"

"Rain."

"But the skies are clear!" Kagome exclaimed, searching the sunset-streaked heavens.

"Yes, but it will rain. A thunderstorm."

Kagome groaned and shook her head. While she actually enjoyed lightning and thunder, she preferred not to be caught in it. She broke out of her reverie and noticed Sesshoumaru was well ahead of her on the path, making her have to run to catch him. "Hey, jerk! Don't just leave me behind like that!"

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings," he said, smirking.

Kagome huffed and fell into step beside him, her human nose finally able to scent the oncoming rain as well. The humidity had risen substantially, and she sighed. "Great, I'm going to get sick now if I'm stuck in the rain!"

"Why would that bring you illness?"

"You don't know much about humans, do you?"

He scoffed. "Of course not, they are beneath me."

Her scowl deepened. "That is a terrible attitude, you know. Sure, you have the advantages of long life, speed, and strength, but we humans have our advantages as well."

"Name one," he said, slowing in amusement.

"It is because of our mortality that we can appreciate life. Imagine knowing you only had a few decades to live, instead of a few millennia! Wouldn't you strive for more if your time was so short? For love, for accomplishment? We don't have thousands of years to look forward to, so we have to be strong and live every day to its fullest. And you seem to always have a problem remembering that immortality is not invincibility, you know."

Sesshoumaru paused his steps and turned to look at her. "Then why do your species insist on doing such menial things?"

"What is menial to you is not to the rest of us. Providing for those we love, starting a family… these things can make life worthwhile."

"Then why do so many humans do such foolish things?"

"Why do so many youkai?"

She had him there, and he gazed at his travel companion with respect. No, she hadn't changed his mind about humans in general, but that she even bothered to argue him with it made him want to smile. It was good to have a real conversation.

She spoke again after a while. "You told me once that I was unlike other humans, and that was what made me special. When we first became friends, the first conversation we had you questioned how I could be as selfless and loyal as I was and still be human. I laughed at you and told you that you had judged an entire race on the deeds of a few. It's true… I am living proof that humans can be kind and accepting and reliable. I would never turn a back to my friends, no matter what cost to myself. I do not think such traits are species-specific, there are good and bad souls in humans, youkai, and hanyou."

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "I do not deny that, but the fact remains that youkai and hanyou are superior."

Kagome gawked at him. "Wait… you just complimented half-demons."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well…uhh…" she stuttered, trying to recover. "You don't hate them for being a cross between humans and youkai?"

He scoffed. "They are not as powerful as a true youkai, of course, but there is nothing wrong with that."

"Wow. That's something I never thought I would hear from you."

"Why not? One of my closest childhood friends was a hanyou."

Kagome's jaw fell again and she blinked a few times. "Well, you constantly taunted InuYasha about his 'tainted blood' and berated him for being a half-demon."

Sesshoumaru looked contemplative. "I don't know why I would do that. Perhaps I was just trying to insult him whatever way I could?"

She thought about this and shrugged. "I'll have to ask you."

"You are asking me."

"I mean ask you once you actually know him. You would never tell me the real reasons you hated him, you just said I couldn't possibly understand."

"Hn," he said, just as the skies spilt open.

Kagome shrieked as a clap of thunder rang overhead and jumped into the air. She felt warmth around her and realized she had sprung right against Sessho9umaru. She blushed and extracted herself. "I hate getting sick, and I know I'm going to if I stay out here."

"You never told me why that is."

"Because being wet and in the cold makes humans more susceptible to the things that cause illness, and that's always how I end up sick," she said, cowering under a nearby tree trying to avoid getting soaked.

He nodded, unfazed by the seemingly buckets of water pouring down. His kimono was made of enchanted material and water would not soak through, only roll off harmlessly. He motioned for her to follow. She did, but with an incredulous look, "Where are you leading me?"

"There is a cave nearby."

Kagome gulped and went after him, dodging from tree to tree. She didn't mind most caves, and she only hoped that it would be an open large one. Kagome's hopes were dashed minutes later as they came to a split in a cliffside. She peered within and saw a very small area of utter darkness, "No way, I am not going in there!"

"Don't be foolish, it is dry within."

"Dry or not, its creepy looking!" She wrapped her arms around herself. "I have had bad experiences in caves."

"Cease your babbling and come inside," he said, grabbing her by the upper arm and yanking her in after him. She squealed and struggled uselessly, soon finding herself in the pitch black, dank cave. Her heart rose to her throat as she began fighting harder.

"No! No no no! Let me out of here, Sesshoumaru, I mean it!"

Strong arms clamped her own to her side and she was pulled to the ground in a warm and hardly damp lap. "Stop struggling. No harm will come to you with me here."

Kagome shook her head fervently. "No! I don't care, this…" Her breathing was labored as she struggled in vain against the young Taiyoukai's grip. "This cave is just like the other one! I can't be in here! Let me go now! Now!"

Her companion stayed silent, worrying inwardly as he kept the thrashing girl pinned to him. His skin began to tingle as holy power flared around her. "No, not again! Let me go, Naraku! Let me out of here! InuYasha! _INUYASHAAA_!" she screamed, her power snapping painfully. Her pupils contracted to pinpoints, and Sesshoumaru felt powerless to do anything but cling to her harder to keep her from injuring herself.

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_Darkness. Consuming infinite gloom. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as she could, hoping against all hope that she would wake up from this nightmare. Three days she had been in that cave, the inky blackness surrounding her like a cold, suffocating blanket. Three days since Naraku had taken her here, chained her to the wall, whipped her gleefully, and left her alone._

_A moan escaped her pale lips, tears falling disregarded. She was sure she would soon die of exhaustion and dehydration. Not that she minded, anything to get away from this endless night, from the still burning pain in her back. Even in the daylight hours she could see nothing but the dark depths of the cave, its low ceilings sending chills as she imagined what could lurk around the bend._

_A sound alerted her to the out of sight entrance to the cave. Her heart beat madly, torn between calling out in hopes of rescue and the possibility of being eaten by the noisemaker. Deciding if it was predatory she would be eaten anyway, she screamed._

_"Help me! Please, help me! Someone please!" she sobbed._

_"Haven't you realized by now? There is no one to help you, and no one is coming," the darkly seductive voice cooed._

_"Naraku, you bastard! Let me out of here!" she screamed, trying to infuse strength into her voice._

_"Tsk, what a mouth you are acquiring from that hanyou! Very unbefitting of a miko, you know." He stepped into her vision. He had forgone his baboon pelt and Kagome distinctly sensed a huge chunk of the Shikon no Tama. This was the real Naraku. She was ashamed to admit to herself that that terrified her more than anything in the world  
_

_"Yeah, and when InuYasha gets here and shoves Tessaiga up your ass, then you can tell me what is befitting of my station. I love that I am so special as to bring the real you out, coward."_

_He growled, but only sidled up to her, running his fingertips along her jaw, her cheek, across her lips. Kagome gagged and turned her head as far away as she could. "Delicious little miko, do you think you could escape me? You could never get away, you'll be mine always now. InuYasha is too caught up in the clay impostor to care about your demise, and the humans wouldn't be able to find you if they tried. Why not give me the jewel shards and become my most prized pet?"_

_Kagome's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You will never get the jewel shards, and you can let the clay whore be your pet, because I won't be!"_

_She had learned a barrier spell for the Shikon Shards, and it would purify, or at least seriously burn, any demon who tried to take them. So long as her soul resided, the spell was in place. This was rather convenient, considering InuYasha couldn't ever try to send her home again - not that he would. It had been too many years for him to even bother. He needed her as much as she needed him._

_Naraku sneered at the priestess, his lips drawn back in a snarl, "Then it looks like you need some more time alone, doesn't it, miko?"_

_He was gone instantly, leaving Kagome alone once again in the suffocating void, once again straining to keep hold of her sanity._

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Sesshoumaru maneuvered the girl around, looking into her wild unseeing eyes. "Kagome, I do not know who this 'Naraku' is, but I am not he. I am Sesshoumaru. Calm yourself, you are going to burn me."

Her breathing calmed slightly enough for her eyes to focus. "Sesshou?"

"Yes. Calm down, you are fine."

"You… are you here to save me again? You always save me, don't you?"

Sesshoumaru rose a brow and shook his head. "There is nothing to be saved from."

"I… I can't be here. Please don't make me stay," she sobbed.

He stroked her back softly. "Only until the rain stops. Why are you so afraid?"

She shook her head against him hysterically. "This cave is just like that one… just like it…"

"What one, Kagome?"

She sniffled and seemed to be trying to bury herself against him, her hands fisted into his silk covered chest, "The one Naraku took me to… I was alone… for days I was alone… and he would come and tell me terrible things. He came everyday just to tell me how alone I was… that InuYasha wouldn't come for me… then he would leave me alone again. I was in chains… bound standing… it was so dark, so quiet…"

Sesshoumaru pulled her more tightly to him. "That was long ago, Kagome. You need not fear this 'Naraku'."

Her breathing calmed more and she finally looked up to his face, blindly. "Are you sure? He isn't here?"

"No, and you are not alone."

She sighed and put her head back against his chest. "Can I stay like this, then?"

"Yes."

"You saved me from him."

"I did?"

"Mm. On the eighth day I was there, I was dying. I know I was. I felt myself dying from having no food or water for over a week, my body was so weak. A cut or two from the whips were infected as well, and it was eating me from the inside. I had given up, I think. Then you came suddenly, swept in and broke the enchantment on my chains. You didn't say a word, you just…you just looked at me like I had never seen you look before and when I woke up I was back in the village and you were gone. It was before we were friends."

He held her there, in silence, for the better part of an hour. The rain had still not lessened and she was starting to get drowsy against him but fought to stay awake. "Kagome, sleep. I will awaken you when we leave."

"N-no, I can't sleep in here. If I sleep I will dream about it… I can't relive that."

Elegant claws absently ran through her hair. "If you are sure."

"Will you talk to me? Help me to stay awake?"

He sighed. "What do you wish to talk about?"

"Tell me more about how you grew up… I know a lot about your mother, but not much about your father at all. Tell me."

He paused in his ministrations and his hand settled on her hip as she strayed cradled against him. "Our relationship is strange. I respect him for his strength, and valor, but our relationship has never been a close one. There has always been a strain there."

"Why is that?"

Sesshoumaru wondered why he was telling the strange human any of this, but always felt inexplicably comfortable around her. "When I was just a pup, he was gone often. There were territory disputes and a war raging in the south, and for nearly half a century I rarely saw him. And since then… it has just been tense between us. I cannot explain it."

"Is it because you want to be Lord?"

"Gods no," he said with a wry laugh. "Though I accept that someday I will have the power, whatever the circumstances, I have no real desire for this. What use do I have with lands and servants? I prefer it like this, out in the world. I may have been raised in the lap of luxury, but the wilds are my true home, I think. I am not sure to be stuck in a castle all the time suits me."

That explained a few things to her, but the wish for power that Sesshoumaru would someday acquire was not explained. She unconsciously snuggled closer to him, her fears soothed by the masculine, clean scent that was Sesshoumaru. So long as she stayed close to him, she would be safe. She knew, deep down, that she was becoming far too attached to the young prince, but something wouldn't let her stop.

At first she had thought it only a projection of her feelings for his future self, but over the last days on the trip to the village and while there she had realized that these were separate growing feelings for his younger self. She knew she was letting it all get out of hand, but something tugged on her soul, on her heart. It told her to be with him, to be near him. He was comfort and familiarity, but beyond that he was open and softer than he would one day be.

Falling in love with the future Sesshoumaru was difficult, but she had stripped away so many masks and layers to find the man underneath, and that was what had caused her to begin plummeting. This younger self was expressive and you could not mistake his thoughts. It was like finding that inner Sesshoumaru without the work, and the thought made her smile.

Sesshoumaru couldn't fathom why he felt so content with the little miko in his arms. He was more relaxed this way than he had ever been in his memory. His hand was tracing small circles against her back, his eyes clouded and far off. He felt he could stay this way for a very long time; preferably with different circumstances.

What was is about this girl? His instincts were so fierce with her, the need to protect her from whatever demons plaques her, whether real or in her mind. He wanted to keep her safe, make her happy… he shook his head mentally. Where was he going with those thoughts? That was dangerous territory. He shivered uncontrollably. Could he, Sesshoumaru, Prince and Heir of the Western Lands, Son of the Inu no Taisho have feelings for a mere human girl?

She shifted then and looked up into the darkness to his face. "I don't hear the rain anymore."

He listened and realized he didn't either, and wondered how long he had been lost in his thoughts. He stood, keeping her held in his arms, and stooped out of the cave entrance. Sure enough, the rain had stopped, and the skies were already clearing. He looked down at the girl in his arms; she had dozed off almost immediately after hitting the open air.

He reached back within the crevice and snatched her bag, throwing it over his shoulder. He wasn't tired in the last, so he thought he would just walk until she awoke. She needed her rest, after all.


	25. Tribulations

Disclaimer: Still don't own. I wish I owned internet, so that I did not have to be so FRIKKIN bored all the time, and could post more chapters more quickly...forgive me, loves!

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 25 - Tribulations_

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When the House of the Moon was visible once again in the morning hours, both Sesshoumaru and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. Kagome had awoken in the middle of the night and had been unable to sleep anymore, so to speed the return trip Sesshoumaru had offered his back for her use. Though it had cut their travel time in less than half, this was a far too enticing action for both lead to a semi-tense silence on the final leg of their trip, only chatting when there was something specific to say.

Kagome tightened her grip around Sesshoumaru's neck affectionately and sighed into his hair. "Relaxation! Finally! It's strange to know I feel at home and comfortable here. If you would have asked me two weeks ago I would have just cried."

Sesshoumaru grunted. "It's good you enjoy it here, but I don't think you will get much relaxation. The day after tomorrow is the banquet."

Kagome buried her face into Sesshoumaru's shoulder. "And its only one night, though, right?"

"Yes, but the Lords are probably already here."

"Damnit!" Kagome swore ."Then I get to feel like prey for another few days, great."

Sesshoumaru slowed slightly, frowning. "None will harm you in my home."

"Doesn't mean they won't try to intimidate the heck out of me. I don't even know what I'm running into!"

Sesshoumaru spotted a waterfall to the east of their position and veered off their path to go there. It was his own retreat when he wanted to get away from the castle, and he had a barrier set around it to keep others from it. Somehow it didn't feel wrong to bring his companion there, though. She looked around curiously when they landed, and glanced to him.

"This is my haven. You are right, you should know about what you will be in for, so I shall tell you. Do you know anything of youkai politics?"

Kagome settled on a boulder by the waterfall's pond and placed a finger to her lips. "All I know is what you complained about… the Eagles of the North, Wolves of the East, and Cats of the South."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Well, houses change hands all the time, so most of that is wrong. The Northern Lands, the Celestial House and rulers of the starscape, are currently a family of silver dragons. Lord Gojou hates all humans and most youkai. He and Father do not get along well. His mate is a gossip and will treat you however she sees fit if she thinks you have information she would be interested in. They have a son, Ryukotsusei, and three daughters whose names I give less than a damn about. The son is like his father though not likely to attend these events, and the girls are after nothing other than power, so they throw themselves at me."

Kagome hissed at the name Ryukotsusei. Sesshoumaru noticed but asked nothing, and she wondered how hard on history it would be for her to purify the bastard. At least he probably wouldn't be there, because she would be seriously hard pressed not to. Shaking out of a lovely fantasy involving crispy-fried dragon bits, she stayed silent and listened to the rest of Sesshoumaru's explanations.

"The Southern Lands, the House of Terra and rulers of the earth beneath us, are currently ruled by a tiger lord. Gyakusetsu is a loud-mouth, but kind. I heard he and his former mate had taken in several youkai and ningen orphans over the years, but she passed on less than a century ago. He recently took a new lady, a panther who already had two daughters, and all three of them are alike. They are loud, opinionated, and seem to have no filter on what comes out of their mouths. You should probably avoid them."

Kagome nodded in assent and sighed. It wasn't looking good for the next few days, and she only hoped to escape any violent encounters. Sesshoumaru's reassurances, as sweet as they were, just didn't quell her fear. She listened attentively.

"Finally, the Eastern Lands, Solar House and rulers of the hours of daylight, are wolves. Lord Wasemaru is a boastful thing, but he is harmless. His mate is pupped right now with his first offspring, so no whelps to worry about. My mother and father will most likely spend all their time with them, since they are the most tolerable of the group."

Kagome sighed deeply and put her head in her hands. "I don't know if I can do this. Can't I just stay in my room?"

Sesshoumaru smiled enough to flash a fang. "I am afraid not. If you could, I would do the same, but you are a guest of this house and must be present. Perhaps…" he trailed off and looked to the sparkling falls musingly.

"Perhaps what?"

Sesshoumaru sighed and kept his gaze away from her. "Perhaps I should be your escort for the nights they are here. It would save us both a headache, since I could keep you away from the annoying bitches and you could keep them away from me."

Kagome pinked slightly. Escort sounded an awful lot like 'date' to her. Not that it was the same thing, but it is certainly what it brought to mind for her. Her blush darkened but she nodded to the back of his head. "I think that would make it more enjoyable for both of us."

She would have been shocked to see an ever so faint blush grace his cheeks as well. He grunted and shook his head, crouching down. "Shall we? My mother will be glad to see her new kimono."

Kagome smiled and clambered onto his back so he could leap gracefully to the treetops.

* * *

Kaori watched the pair approaching from her balcony and bounced with glee. "Mattaki! Mattaki, come here!"

Her mate strolled lazily to her side. "What has you so excited?"

She grinned fangedly. "Them! I was so right about our little errand we sent them on!"

Mattaki caught sight of his son and their guest, her riding on his back as they approached the castle. "It could be nothing, you know. Perhaps young Sesshoumaru got impatient?"

Kaori shook her head dramatically. "Nope! They are coming from his sanctuary! If he brought her there for any reason, he's falling for her! Already! Oh!" she bounced happily again, giggling girlishly. "How sweet!"

Mattaki sighed and laughed at her antics. "I hope you are right, my love; they deserve one another. Now, come, we have other… guests… to attend to," he said with disdain.

His lady sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Just a little longer?"

He grinned lopsidedly and scooped Kaori into his arms, his chuckle vibrating his chest. "What kind of mate would I be to disregard such a simple request?"

* * *

When they had landed at the castle gates, Kagome dismounted sadly. She swore InuYasha's back had never been that comfortable. Readjusting her backpack, she followed Sesshoumaru inside; they were going straight to Kaori. Unfortunately, certain members of the Northern House had other plans.

All three were nearly identical, their dark, grey-silver hair seeming dull in comparison to Sesshoumaru's bright shade. Their eyes were all a vivid turquoise and their bodies broad but still shapely. The only differences were their markings, which were all different colors. Each had a single stripe running from temple to jaw line: one deep red, one a forest green, and one a pink. And all of them were darting for her companion.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru! It has been so long!" the first said, smiled plastically up at the now outwardly frigid Prince.

"Ahh, Prince Sesshoumaru, have you missed me?" the second called, batting her eyes.

The third, her stripes were pink, hung back, having spotted Kagome. She snarled dangerously. "Taking human whores now, Sesshoumaru?"

The others noticed her and glared haughtily. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. "We have no time for the likes of you. My friend and I have important business that leaves me no time to offend you currently. Come, Kagome."

All three identical jaws dropped open and Kagome smiled brightly at them before jogging after him, leaving all three frozen in place. Once out of range, Kagome laughed joyously. "That was fabulous, Sesshou."

He turned and smirked back at her. "Yes, it was. I think I may remember the looks on their faces the rest of my life. Youkai like them do not take being disregarded easily."

Kagome giggled again and patted his shoulder as they walked to the Western wing of the castle, where his parents would be. He sniffed out his father and found both his parents to be in the study and led her there. He wrinkled his nose; they'd been at it again recently. He sighed and knocked.

"Father, Kagome and I have returned."

Inside the room Kaori smacked her mate's arm happily and hissed in his ear. "See? He called her by her name!"

Mattaki glared playfully. "We'll speak of this later." He dropped the concealment barrier on the room and called the two from the hall. Kagome smiled vibrantly at them both and held out a package to Kaori. "Here you are. Both your and my outer kimonos. Yamesho said you had enough layers to match with anything so she only needed send these."

The woman nodded vigorously and quickly untied the silk bundle. She unfolded the royal amethyst kimono and squealed, "Oh, it's gorgeous! These golden embroideries are beautiful! You have fabulous taste, Kagome."

Said girl blushed and grinned. "I am glad you like it."

Next, Kaori unfolded Kagome's choice in kimono and smiled softly. "You will look stunning in this, my dear. The shade of blue will accent your eyes perfectly. I assume you left it to Yamesho?"

Kagome nodded. "I chose yours personally, but was not particular about my own."

"She did wonderfully as always. See why she is my choice in seamstress?"

The women smiled and allowed the men back into the conversation. Kagome and Sesshoumaru told about the events of their trip, and missed the knowing looks Kaori kept sending to Mattaki. Once they were appeased with the events of the prior days they dismissed the two to get some much needed rest before dinner. With a final look between them, they did just that, and Kagome quickly fell into a doze.

* * *

"M'lady?"

"Nnghh," Kagome grunted into her blanket, pulling it more firmly over her head. "Five more minutes."

She heard a sigh and the blanket was ripped off her. She cried her protest and proceeded to try and cover her face with her arms before she had the matronly horse youkai tapping her foot. "Kagome, you must get up, it is almost dinnertime and you must attend."

"Dun wanna," came the muffled reply.

"You must!"

"The banquet is not until day after tomorrow, I'll skip tonight."

Another sigh. "I am afraid that is not acceptable. Will you really leave the young prince alone with those vicious princesses?"

This got her charge up, and Mizuki smiled knowingly. The air between the two had changed in their absence, and only glimpsing them together after their arrival had made it clear. She smiled and helped her young mistress from bed, dressing her quickly. Once she was dressed and groomed properly, she escorted her to the dining hall. "Remember, m'lady, it would be best to ignore most of the royal families. And do not let that temper of yours get out of control at the table, it is formal there. Away from there, you can get away with more."

Kagome smiled. "Thank you, Mizuki. And stop with the m'lady stuff, I told you."

"I know, Kagome. Now go! The seating has been rearranged to fit all the guests, and you will be next to the young prince."

Kagome gulped and nodded, taking a deep breath as she was announced.

The long table was packed with all the members of the royal families, and Kagome kept her eyes on the floor in hopes of being unnoticed. Fat chance of that one. Being the only human in a room full of exceptional youkai was like having a giant target painted on her forehead. She sunk, thankfully gracefully, to her knees beside Sesshoumaru and flashed a grin to her three friends before looking back down at her hands.

"This is my honored guest, the Miko Kagome. She is staying with my family for a few moons. I expect her to be treated with deference to her position in my graces, for this Mattaki is far more wrathful when it comes to those in my favor." It was said with a shark smirk, but the implied threat was not lost on the youkai at the table.

"You make us dine with a filthy human and then tell us we must treat it with respect? I thought after your brother took a human mate that you had escaped his folly, but I see you are just as soft as your brethren." The man speaking was haughty and spiteful, and though Kagome did not look up, she could only assume it to be Gojou of the North.

Mattaki growled in warning. "Enough, Northern Lord. My threat does not stem only to the women and pups."

"You presume to tell me what I can do, Western Lord?"

"In my home, yes," he said in a low, calm tone. Behind that tone, though, she could almost feel the icicles.

Kagome shivered almost imperceptibly; it was strange to see Mattaki so cold and aloof. She was reminded of an older Sesshoumaru, and finally saw where he had gotten his inspiration. A clawed hand touched hers lightly and she smiled at Sesshoumaru's reassuring gesture. She just had to bear the gauntlet through this meal and the next days, then she would be free. She gave a gentle squeeze to his fingers before he took them back.

Conversation was subdued after the initial outbursts, though Kagome could hear the sneers from the Northern family about her presence. She ignored it for the most part, trying not to let it show when the words cut into her. She finally stole a gaze up at the table and her jaw would have gone through the table if she hadn't caught herself. Beside Lady Kaori was a pregnant woman; the two had been in conversation and giggling the entire meal. But it was the man beside her that Kagome almost choked over. If this hadn't been five hundred years in the past, and if not for a few minor points, he could have been Kouga.

She stared and wondered his relation to her someday friend. Perhaps an uncle, or even father? It made her more comfortable to hope that he would be like Kouga, whom though outwardly brash had always been there for her. She tore her gaze back to her food and ate quietly, hoping the meal would finish soon. She needed fresh air and she wanted it now.

After what felt like hours the group began to disperse, and Kagome excused herself to the Northern gardens. She hadn't seen them in days, after all, and she needed their soothing atmosphere more than ever. She hardly contained a sprint as she navigated the halls, and smiled widely at one of the inuyoukai guards she had befriended.

He smiled back and nodded to her. "You look pleased to be free of them, Lady Kagome."

She scowled. "I told you to stop with the overly respectful stuff. And yes, I am beyond pleased. Now I am off to the garden to hide until this debacle is over with! Find me in a few days!" He chuckled heartily and his violet eyes flashed.

"I think a certain heir would be unhappy for you to go missing for that long."

"Jeez, does word travel or what?" She tugged on a lock of his burgundy hair and waved as she brushed by him, intent on her goal.

The night air was like nothing else as it caressed her overheated skin, and Kagome sighed loudly. "Thank the gods!" she exclaimed and did not prevent her sprint to her favorite grassy patch of earth. It was surrounded by imported roses and covered by a maple tree, its purple blooms radiant and glowing in the moonlight. She sunk onto her back with a happy sigh, mindful of the expensive and cumbersome layers of her kimono.

A noise roused her from her relaxation, and she looked up to see a very pregnant Eastern Lady standing near her position. "I see someone else had the same escape plan as me."

Kagome giggled and sat up, bowing the best she could from her position. "I needed out of there. It's a pleasure to meet you, I am Kagome."

"Kaori has told me much of you, I think we will get along well, Kagome-san. I am Raku."

Kagome smiled. "Would you care to join me, Lady Raku?"

"Yes to joining you, but no to the formality, I am not much for it. I am not much for kimonos either," she said, scowling at her distended belly. "Especially not in this state. Would you mind helping me down?"

"Of course, Raku," Kagome said with a smile and stood, taking one of the youkai's arms and gingerly lowering her to the grass.

"Ahh, much better. I think my pup is remaining within me overdue to spite me."

Kagome laughed. "I am sure that is not the case. So it's anytime now, then?"

"It is. She has been terrorizing me already; I am afraid to see what she will be like once she is born!"

"She?"

"I hope. My mate wishes for an heir, but I wish for a little girl to pick flowers with," she smiled softly, rubbing her stomach. "I guess I must just wait to find out."

The two laid in the grass and talked for another hour, chatting like old friends. When Raku suddenly bolted to a sitting position, Kagome cried out and rushed to her side.

"What is it, Raku-?"

The wolf turned to her with a tumultuous smile. "Kagome, I think my pup might have finally decided to stop being stubborn."

"Woah, woah, you can't know that. Here? _Now_?"

"My water just broke, could you be a dear and call for the healer and Kaori?"


	26. Jealousy

Disclaimer: No own.

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* * *

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 26 - Jealousy_

* * *

Kagome decided that being a catalyst wasn't so bad as she held and wiped off the newborn pup of Lady Raku. Sure, it got her into trouble, caused her problems, and generally made her want to scream, but there were little moments that made it all worth it.

After Raku's announcement of the onset of labor, Kagome had jumped up and sprinted for the castle, only falling flat on her face twice in her haste. She had told a guard to fetch his Lady and the palace healer to the gardens immediately, and run back to Raku to try and make her as comfortable as possible. Her contractions were hardly beginning but they were painful nonetheless.

After working her out of several layers of her kimono, for comfort, Kaori had finally arrived frantically. "Bad timing, Raku!"

Raku gritted her teeth through a contraction and glared at her friend. "Oh, so sorry Kay. I didn't mean to put you out."

The inuyoukai knelt beside her and stroked some stray hairs from her face. "I did not mean that, friend. There was a birth in town with complications, so our healer went to assist. She may not be back until morning!"

Raku grunted. "Well, the pup isn't going to wait."

Kaori turned her attention to the human girl ordering her guards to fetch water. "I think you'll be fine, Raku. Hey, Kagome?"

The black haired girl spun and smiled. "Yes?"

"What do you know about giving birth?"

The smile melted off Kagome's face. "Excuse me?" she said slowly.

"Our healer is not here… and you are a miko, right?"

"An _untrained _miko! But, well… where I come from, we understand a lot more, so I know the process… but still! You want _me_ to help her deliver her pup?"

Kaori grinned. "I have the utmost confidence in you!"

Kagome groaned loudly, but had set about doing all she could. Several hours, frazzled nerves, and a ripped up kimono layer later, she held the perfect little pup in her arms and was wiping the aftereffects of its birth from its wrinkled little face, "It's a perfect little boy, Raku!"

Kagome was amazed by the perfect bundle she held in her arms, a tuft of black hair flattened on its head. She traced the point of its little ear with the cloth and counted its fingers and toes. Flawless. She ran a finger over the little orange sun that adorned his head before she handed the baby to his mother and tied off the cord. "Kaori, can you lend me a claw?"

The Western Lady nodded and smiled, leaning over and slicing through the thick umbilical cord. Now all that was needed was to wait out the after birth and Kagome's job would be done. She had never felt so proud of herself. She had just assisted in bringing new life into the world. She grinned and watched mother and son.

She stood, intent on finding the father of said new life to alert him of the wellbeing of mother and pup, and was amazed at the weakness in her knees. It was after midnight, she was sure, and she was exhausted. She made it a total of five steps before she fell into the comfortable haze of unconsciousness.

* * *

Kagome awoke to fingers brushing aside her bangs, and she moaned and tried to open her heavy eyelids. Kaori was smiling down at her. "Finally you woke up, sleepy one."

The miko blinked several times. "Wow, I passed out didn't I?"

"You did. Gave us quite a scare, too. I am glad it was only exhaustion and not something more serious."

Kagome smiled and stretched. "Have I missed breakfast? I am very hungry."

"I am having someone bring you food. I am sure you don't feel like putting up with the lords."

Kagome shook her head fervently. "No, that's alright. I don't mind breakfast in bed."

"Well, lunch, but yes."

"Oh my, I slept so long?"

"Yes, but it is fine. Raku is very thankful to you, as is young Kouga I am sure."

Kagome stared, dumbstruck for several moments. Then the mirth bubbled into her chest and she couldn't stop the hysterical peals of laughter that poured from her. Tears streamed down her face as she laughed until she couldn't breathe, but she still could not stop. When her food arrived, she couldn't even look up to register that it was in fact Sesshoumaru who had brought her food.

After several minutes of breathing and renewed fits of giggles, she was able to calm down enough to answer the questioning looks on her companions' faces. She grinned. "No I have not gone mad. Kouga, you said? That is what they named the baby, right?"

Kaori nodded, and resisted the urge to check her friend for a fever. "Yes, it is. Why was that so amusing?"

Kagome gave another snorting giggle. "I know him later! That annoying wolf chased me across the territories for five years telling me that I was 'his woman' no matter what I had to say about it. Kouga is a good friend, but he's a little dense and very obnoxious. He claimed me as his mate-to-be within minutes of meeting me, and announced his love for me in front of his pack. I just find it funny that I helped to birth him. I wish I could tell him so and see what he had to say about it."

Kaori giggled. "That is rather amusing. Don't you think so, Sessy?"

Sesshoumaru had remained silent and even now only nodded curtly. So, that wolf thought he could claim her, did he? He growled and walked from the room.

Kagome looked after him, confused. "What's wrong with him?"

"Well," Kaori repressed a smirk, "I think it is what is called jealousy, my friend."

Kagome blushed. "Wh-what? Come on, Kaori."

"Isn't it obvious?" The Lady of the house winked and stood. "I'll talk to him. You eat. I'll come back for you, then we can go visit the new parents, all right?"

Kaori let loose her giggles once she was out of the room and instantly dashed to her chambers. She knew what was needed. Retrieving the small parcel she caught her son's scent and followed it, finding him in the dojo. She was proud to see that he had gotten her whip after all, and pitied the poor guards he was currently torturing. She let him work off a little steam before waving to him and leading him to her own private gardens on the palace rooftop.

"My son, is there something you want to tell me?" she asked, sitting on a stone bench.

Sesshoumaru scowled. "No mother."

Kaori forced herself to keep a straight face and pulled on his hand until he was beside her, at which time she began braiding a lock of his perfect silver hair. She loved his hair, and was glad he had inherited it from his father. He sighed but smiled sweetly at her as she giggled, leaving him in silence for a few minutes.

Once she was finished, Kaori sat back and pulled the small parcel from the folds of her obi, "Are you sure that you have no use for this, perhaps?"

Sesshoumaru's jaw dropped and he met her eye with surprise but little denial. "But mother…"

"This is nothing. It is nothing permanent, nothing sure, it is simply to make your intentions known. And as your mother, I know your intentions even when you are not so sure of them. She is a wonderful girl, Sesshoumaru."

He lowered his gaze to her hands, eyeing the bundle as she slowly unwrapped it. She had told him its purpose when he had first became of age to mate, but he had never assumed he would have any use for it. He eyed it warily. The seemingly inconspicuous little bauble would be the difference between companion and promised, and he wasn't sure if he was willing to do that.

Yes, the girl was everything he had ever imagined in his perfect mate, other than her species. But it was that final roadblock that gave him pause. She was mortal, human. Not only that, but she had traveled through time to get to him. Would she leave? If she did, would he see her again? He shook that off, of course he would. He was inuyoukai, and according to Kagome he would be practically undisputed. He would surely live.

But could he bear all the time away from her he was sure to have? If he were to choose her, he would spend several hundred years at a time alone, without her, only to have her for less than a century. Was he willing to go through that? Well, he had been planning on staying alone anyway, so what difference would it make if he was alone but simply knew he had something to look forward to?

Kaori knew the things that held him back. "Sesshoumaru, my darling, using this," she held up the necklace, "will not solidify anything. You will still have time to think of the answers to your questions, and you can always part ways. But it would be a good thing for both you and she to know what your intent could be and for others, perhaps rivals, to know as well. She is a special girl, do you want her to be swept out from under your nose? You heard her, in another time the young Eastern Prince will be after her heart. I have seen several of the guards eyeing her as well. She seems to attract youkai males like moths to a flame. Are you willing to lose her because you are afraid?"

Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw at the implication, but shook his head and sighed. His mother wrapped her arms around him and leaned into him. When had her pup become bigger than her? She sniffed away the sad thoughts and scrambled up to kiss his cheek. "Take it, and decide for yourself. I trust your judgment."

She left him there, staring down into the crescent gem. It appeared black until the sun hit it, then it lit with a million facets of colors. The prismatic black gem was a contradiction, but it was more than just a beautiful rock. It symbolized the courted future Lady of the West, and contained powerful protection enchantments and location spells. He sighed and tucked it into his haori; he needed to get ready for yet another loathsome dinner. He would be very glad when the next day's banquet was completed and his life could return to normal.

* * *

After Kagome finished her meal, she threw on a orange and crème yakuta. It reminded her of Rin, and she smiled and smoothed it over her legs. Before her baths and other preparations for the night she wanted to spend a few minutes outside with her book; it had turned out to be full of poetry in English. Though she could not speak it worth anything, she read it passably.

Clutching her book to her chest, she strolled leisurely to the entrance to the Western gardens; she was less likely to encounter any of the chattering annoyances that had invaded the palace. She soon found herself in the same place Sesshoumaru and she had sat the first night she had snuck out there, and began paging through the book. She laughed at a particularly bawdy limerick until a shadow passed over her book.

"You seem amused, my lady," the smooth bass rumbled, a smile evident in the tone.

Kagome looked up. She didn't know him, but even if she hadn't been in a youkai castle and even if she hadn't been a priestess she would have known he was too beautiful to be human. His hair, where hers was full and had a bluish shine to it, was black like nothingness and looked as if it would rival water in smoothness and silkiness. It was bound at the nape of his neck and hung down to his ankles. The crests adorning his cheeks were black as well but still stood stark against his bronzed skin. His eyes were the most shocking though; Kagome swore they glowed. She had never seen such pale green eyes!

She smiled politely and nodded. "Yes, European authors are rather vulgar sometimes, but it makes for entertainment."

"May I sit?" the man said, and Kagome paused but nodded. He didn't seem a threat. He glanced at the book in her hands and cocked his head to the side. "A mortal girl who can read is practically nonexistent, but a mortal girl who can read in another language and is not offended by coarse literature is one of a kind. May I have the privilege of your name, my lady?"

Kagome blushed for no reason known to her. "I am Kagome, and I am far from a normal mortal girl. Where I come from it is required we learn to read, write, and do math, and when it comes to vulgarities… well, I'm just used to them."

He smiled dashingly. "I am Gyakusetsu, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Kagome." He snatched her hand and planted a kiss on its back, making the already flustered girl turn a luminous pink.

"Please, just call me Kagome," she stuttered out, blinking away the butterflies attacking the walls of her stomach. It only took a split second for her to catch up. "Wait, Gyakusetsu? Aren't you Lord of the South?"

He flashed her another grin. "That would be I, but please don't treat me any differently because of it. I would normally demand respect but from you I would rather have a conversation. It is so rare to find any female, no matter the species, to have a real conversation with."

Kagome couldn't help grinning back and lost herself in a discussion on the philosophies of creation. Her scientifically based views were practically blasphemy in this age, but her companion did not seem to care. She didn't notice the passage of time until he stood, holding out a hand to her. "I believe we both have a dinner to ready ourselves for, my lady?"

Kagome looked to the sky and blanched, it was already nearing dusk! She bowed and excused herself and dashed into the palace, tripping over herself to reach her chambers. Mizuki waited for her with a half smile. "Running late, Kagome?"

The overwrought girl groaned and allowed herself to be led to the hot springs and pampered for the next hour until she was primped and proper. She wore a lavender outer kimono, with darker layers under. Darker cranes decorated the hem and sleeves. Her escort arrived and she smiled at him, he was dressed in a pale outfit that reminded her strikingly of the one she was used to.

Sesshoumaru led her through the labyrinth hallways, and glanced to her from the corner of his eye. "You look beautiful tonight, Kagome."

She flushed crimson. "I think the same could be said about you, Sesshou."

He made a face. "Men are not beautiful."

"Perhaps not usually, but you are."

He smiled a little and decided to take it as a compliment, stopping at the wooden door that led to the dining room. "Remember, tonight will likely be just as bad as the last. But though formal, feel free to speak with those you feel comfortable with, my family especially. Formality is no reason to be bored witless. Please, though, keep your… exceptional temper in check?"

Kagome grinned reassuringly and patted the hand that covered hers. "I will make no promises, but I will try. I would hate to have to purify anyone during a meal. I'll save that spectacle for the banquet itself."

Sesshoumaru chuckled and opened the door. Instantly they were met with silence other than the announcement of their arrival. They ignored the heated glares they received from most of the assembled and went to their places at the already full table, sinking down beside one another adjacent to Kaori and Raku. Kagome grinned at them and sent a loving smile to Mattaki as well, who, though he did not smile outright, gazed softly at her.

Kagome, braver than she had been the night before, glanced around the table. The Northern family was concentrated at the far end of the table, thankfully, and Raku and her mate on the other side from Kagome. On their side as well were the Southern daughters, with their mother and Lord alongside Kagome. Gyakusetsu was beside her.

"I see you managed to make up time, Lord Gyakusetsu?"

He grinned. "I did not have nearly as much to do. A change of clothing was in order, but I feel lucky I must not be adorned in layers as you ladies are. I fear they look uncomfortable."

Kagome smiled back and went back to her food, and only got a bite before interrupted by Sesshoumaru. "You know the Southern Lord, then?"

"Oh yes, we spent this afternoon in debate," she said with a laugh.

"Oh but Kagome, shall we find a new topic of conversation? It would help this meal to pass for this Gyakusetsu."

"My lord, I think this is a bad place for such discussions. Though you are not easily offended, I fear others might be. My views tend to be… controversial. Perhaps later we can continue?"

He smirked in an almost seductive manner. "It would be an honor, my lady."

Kagome blushed and poked her food, not seeing her companion on her right snarling silently. Sesshoumaru was annoyed. Really, very annoyed. Sure, the youkai was mated, but he was shamelessly _flirting_ with his intended! Or… intended intended. He thought. Perhaps. Sesshoumaru scowled. Could this night get any worse?


	27. Assistance

Disclaimer: No own. Nothing else to say.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 27 - Assistance_

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Kagome, once again dressed in her jeans and a tee, ran down the halls. She was running late. Since their last appointment had been interrupted, Mattaki had promised to take her out another time. Perhaps the day of the banquet wasn't the best timing, but she was happy nonetheless to be going out. Kagome swore when she saw one of her shoes untied and bent to tie it, trying to stop all acts of inelegance before they started.

"What is she wearing?" a throaty female voice asked.

"Are those hakama?" a much squeakier voice replied.

"No, they are too tight! And the top is as well! It's practically scandalous!"

"Maybe it's just human fashion."

"I have never seen a human wear that. Sure, it covers skin, but its tight enough to put Yura to shame!"

The higher pitched voice cackled. "I think no one could shame Yura. Speaking of her, did you hear she's gone to the mainland?"

"No, I hadn't. Lucky, I want to go!"

"Me too. Anyway, this human girl is strange. Maybe she is a concubine for the Inu no Taisho?"

"No, I heard she is for the young prince."

"Him? Lucky girl, she is, either way."

Kagome scowled and looked up, seeing two youkai girls who obviously thought themselves out of her hearing range. The taller one had auburn hair that reached down to her ankles and a fan across her face, the shorter hardly more than a child and with a pale lime colored green hair that was in buns on either side of her head. The girl cocked her head to the side. "She's looking at us now."

Kagome stood and glared. "Humans may have inferior hearing, but we are not deaf, you know."

The little girl squeaked and leapt behind the taller girl. "Kiyoshi, the human talked to me!"

Kiyoshi laughed at her sister and addressed Kagome. "I'm sorry, we've never been close enough to a human to be overheard by one, let alone speak to one."

Kagome waved her hand dismissively. "No worries. Though to clear your speculation, I am a miko not a concubine."

Another squeal from the girl. "Sister! Will the miko eat us?"

Kagome laughed heartily. "Little one, priestesses don't eat anyone. And I am not a normal miko, so don't be frightened of me, okay?"

A little green head poked around silver-clad legs. "I still think you are scary."

Kagome smiled and rolled her eyes, readjusting her bow on her shoulder. "Perhaps I will see you two later? I am going on patrol with Mattaki."

Kagome finished her run through the halls and finally reached the courtyard. Thankfully this time there was no Sesshoumaru making out with a youkai woman, so she ran to the guardhouse to await the lord. He appeared from the sky in full armor and weaponry, a sight unseen in weeks for Kagome.

She grinned at him and he held out a hand. "Are you ready? I have received word of an demon that has been terrorizing a human settlement southeast of here."

Kagome nodded and stepped up to him, his arm going around her as they lifted into the sky. Flight always cut journeys into fractions of what they might be, but Kagome doubted she would ever get over the sensation. The ground whizzed by so fast it made an ache form behind her eyes. She put her forehead against Mattaki's armor to retain her equilibrium.

They landed a good ways outside of the village in a field of red irises and she saw Mattaki blatantly sniffing the air. She couldn't repress the giggle that escaped her. He mock glared down at her. "What is so funny?"

"I'm sorry, but you reminded me of InuYasha. You both look an awful lot alike, you know. All you need now are puppy ears for me to rub and I would be content."

Mattaki growled, but laughed anyway. "You are going to get me in trouble, making me lose composure out here. I am supposed to be a terrifying and tyrannical Demon Lord, not a pup laughing in a flower field!"

"You're still frightening. Ooo, ahh, fearsome inuyoukai giggles! So scary!"

This earned her another playful growl and glare. "Come, the wind shifted and I know where our prey is."

Kagome trotted happily behind him, but stayed on her guard. Her bow was hanging by her side but her grip was tight, ready to bring it to the ready as needed. Mattaki was swift and she jogged to keep up, trying her best to tread lightly. She found it was unnecessary moments later.

They had stumbled right into the lair of a horde of boar demons. Mattaki grimaced. "This will be messy; there are a lot of them. Apparently they have been taking turns on the village. One would think they would band together, but lower beasts don't tend to be smart."

"They're making so much noise I think you could blast a couple of Wind Scars into the trees and they wouldn't notice."

"Yes, I agree. Speaking of the Wind Scar…" Mattaki unsheathed Tessaiga and Kagome's heart trembled to see the sword in all its glory. It had been so long now. He unleashed an expert attack and destroyed half the boars with one swipe.

She shook off the nostalgia and readied an arrow. "Go!" She sent a brilliantly flaring arrow at the remaining demons, destroying three youkai that had hardly turned to notice they were under attack.

Not taking the time to praise herself, Kagome knocked a second arrow and let it fly, careful to keep one eye on Mattaki's position. Though she doubted she had the power to harm him, she rathered not accidentally find out. He was slicing through his opponents with a grace and ease Kagome had never seen the Tessaiga used with; though over the years InuYasha had improved in his skill, he had never had much natural elegance.

Mattaki was now dealing with a particularly fierce boar; it was head and shoulders larger than the others. Kagome set it upon herself to pick off the remaining members of the pack and give Mattaki the space he needed to fight. With a twirling arc of the Tessaiga, the battle was over hardly minutes after it had begun and Kagome smiled in satisfaction.

"Best battle since Naraku. Your older son would never let me have any fun when I traveled with him."

Mattaki grinned and sheathed his fang. "Well, I am glad to be of service." He winced slightly as he took a step, which didn't escape Kagome's notice.

"Oh, idiot, you hurt yourself didn't you?"

He laughed. "It is nothing. I think you may be the first person to call me an idiot besides Kaori in several centuries."

She grinned. "Good for me for reminding you of reality then, hm?"

After some coaxing she convinced him to sit and let her check his wound. She hadn't brought her pack, but she had rags for just this reason in her pockets. She wet them in a stream nearby and cleaned the tear in his calf that the boar's tusk had inflicted; it was not deep, but it was ragged and would take a bit more time to heal because of it. Kagome pondered a bit and looked into her friend's bright gaze. "Do you trust me?"

He cocked his head. "I think so, yes. Why?"

Kagome smiled softly and pushed his hakama further up his muscled leg, baring the entire injury. A soft white glow, unlike her purifying powers, emitted from her hand and she held it to the injury, muttering under her breath. Mattaki fought the urge to bolt and stayed under her treatment, surprised at the warm sensations ebbing through him.

It was over in a moment, and now there was but a jagged red line where his injury had once been. Kagome applauded. "Good, and that hardly took anything out of me! I hadn't used my healing in a while, so I wasn't sure how hard it would be on me."

He nodded his thanks. "Well, we need to go check in on the village. It is nearby and we should let them know their problem is gone. Will you accompany me?"

"Of course I will, my lord," she replied and accepted his embrace once again as they took the much shorter - and slower - trip through the sky. The village people bowed around them as they landed, singing praises to their lord and staring in awe of the human who accompanied him. She walked proudly behind him to the headmaster's hut.

Mattaki inclined his head. "The threat is no more, Souryu. You will have no more problems with the boars."

The headmaster went to his knees and bowed respectably. "Thank you so much for your assistance, my lord. This village is again in your debt."

Mattaki grunted in return and began to leave, Kagome trailing after him when a voice called out. "Lady Miko! Lady Miko, please wait!"

Both of them turned and watched the woman run forward. "My child, he is sick! Please, can you look in on him Lady Miko?"

"How did you know I was a miko?" Kagome asked, blinking.

"My mother was a powerful priestess, and I gained some of her ability. Healing was simply not one of them. Please, just look in on my child?"

Kagome turned to her companion and looked him in the eye. "Can I, Mattaki?"

He nodded, and she ignored the shocked gasps at her perceived lack of respect. She bowed her head to him and followed the frantic woman to a nearby hut. The child was no more that ten years old and was pale as death. Kagome hissed and ran to his side, checking his vital signs.

His pulse was fluttering but normal, but his breathing was erratic. He was highly fevered and her suspicions were confirmed when she put an ear to the small chest. The rattling was obvious. "Pnemonia," she muttered, brushing the boys bangs from his sweaty brow.

There was little to be done without penicillin and a hospital. All she could do was hope she hadn't used up too much of her power on Mattaki and try to get the water from the boys lungs. She pressed both hands over him and closed her eyes, envisioning his breathing calm and steady. As always, as she took away the ailments it felt for a brief moment that she herself had taken on the malady, but it faded instantly.

She then concentrated on the raging fever, which would surely kill the boy if left as it was. She sent cooling and soothing waves of power through him, purging the black strands of illness in his aura and leaving the boy with what would play out as a mild common cold. She broke her trance and smiled at his mother. "He should be fine now. He needs a lot of water to replenish what the fever took, and he'll keep his cough for a few days, but other than that he should recover within a week completely."

The woman collapsed at her feet. "Thank you Lady Miko, thank you! I have never seen such ability! I owe you such a debt, my lady!"

Kagome bent and helped the woman back up and gave her a kind smile. "It was no problem, Mattaki and I were already here, anyway. I couldn't let the poor thing suffer. He very well may have died from his illness, and that would be terrible on the world. He has a strong aura, he will likely possess spiritual power of his own."

The woman smiled again and Kagome embraced her, turning one last time on the little boy before she left. His eyes fluttered open and she stroked his cheek. Violet eyes met hers with a weak smile. "Angel?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, just a miko. Do you feel better, little one?"

He seemed to think for a moment then nodded, smiling brightly. "Yes, a lot better! Thank you very much!"

She planted a kiss on his forehead and took his hand. "You listen to your mother and drink a lot of water, okay? You'll be better in no time if you do that."

"Anything you say, beautiful lady. Will you come back and marry me someday?" he asked, childlike innocence betrayed by the second hand that stroked the top of hers. She looked at him again with a twitching eye and it struck her. Violet eyes and a streak that was just on the wrong side of charming?

His mother laughed uncomfortably and pulled her away from him. "I am sorry, Lady Miko. He learned from his father."

Kagome laughed with her. "He reminds me of a friend, though he is substantially older. I must not keep Mattaki waiting, though, so I have to leave you now. Stay well!"

She dashed from the hut and to the outskirts of town where Mattaki waited, lost in her thoughts. The rhyme had implied that she had to do tasks to make sure the world of InuYasha's time was put together the way she remembered it. Healing that boy must have been one of those things, as without him... Kagome closed her eyes. It was possible that his parents would have had other children to carry the genes that were so obviously Miroku's, but a change like that could have made everything different. How many little thngs had she done since arriving at the House of the Moon that linked directly to her past? 

She saw silver in the distance and ran to it, eager to tell Mattaki of her discovery. What she found stopped her and made her giggle with glee. "Toutosai!" she said, jogging up to the pair, the older of the two sporting a large lump on the head. He looked exactly as he would in five hundred years, though perhaps with an inch more of hairline to be proud of.

"Eh? What? Do I know you?" the old sword smith asked, tilting his off-balance head.

Kagome chided herself for not knowing better and bowed. "I am Kagome. Sorry, but.."

"What's that? You, show me that!" he said, his eyes nearly crossed as he pointed.

She looked down and for a moment thought he referred to her breast and nearly clobbered him. Apparently that's exactly what Mattaki thought, because he did. Kagome giggled. "No no, he wants this," she said, pulling from where it was clipped to her bra under her armpit, a wicked dagger.

Toutosai took it and his brow furrowed as he mumbled. Kagome turned to Mattaki. "Eh, what is he doing?"

"Talking to it. Where did you get it?"

"From him, made from Sesshou's fang."

"Ah. Well, then he's getting a headache right now wondering when he made it."

"Should we tell him?"

"Up to you, it bothers me little to see the old man confused."

Kagome hit his armored arm playfully, mindful of the spikes, and turned back to Toutosai, who was now leaning on MouMou. She stroked its snout before speaking. "Toutosai, you don't make that for another five hundred years, so don't hurt your brain."

The sword smith tiled his head again, though the two lumps now balanced out his head. "Eh? How's that?"

"I come from the future. You'll meet me several times in a few centuries. May I have my fang back now, please?"

He didn't answer but handed it back, scratching his head contemplatively. He was lost in his own world for several minutes before Mattaki cleared his throat, making him whirl back to face the two others. His eyes hit Kagome.

"Eh? What? Who're you? Inu no Taisho, did you take a new mate? I know you like humans, but isn't she a little young for you? I mean…"

Mattaki growled and hit him a third time, the trio of lumps fighting for dominance on his round head. "Stupid old man. We will meet again. If you see Myouga, send him to me."

Toutosai wailed his grievances as Mattaki grabbed her and took to the sky, MouMou giving them a monotone 'moo' in farewell. Kagome giggled. "He seriously never changes… or ages…"

"I have known him for two millennia and he has looked the same. I wonder at times if he was born that way."

Kagome's nose wrinkled at the thought. "His poor mother… what an ugly baby!"

Mattaki chortled and shook his head. The palace came into view a short time later. "The banquet will be at dusk, you should begin preparations."

"Do I have to? Can't we go slay more beasties?"

"If only, Kagome. After tonight though, no more worries, ey? Just hold your tongue through dinner and as Lord of these lands, I give you full permission to say whatever you want to any who come near you at the after-festivities."

Kagome broke from him as they landed and nodded her head sullenly. "See you at dinner, Mattaki."

She walked idly through the castle with a sullen face. This would be the last night of torture, she told herself, and forced herself to walk tall. A newly familiar voice reached her ears as she turned a corner, and practically ran into Kiyoshi and her sister. The little girl leapt and hid once again behind her sisters kimono.

"O-oh, scary! The miko again, sister!"

The auburn-haired youkai laughed. "Silly cub. How fare you, miko?"

"Call me Kagome. I am all right, but not looking forward to this banquet."

"You are human, of course you're not. Most of the table would rather kill or eat you than dine with you."

Kagome gave a disbelieving smile. "I wouldn't say most, but enough yes."

"Papa likes her, he said Lady Kagome was nice. If you are Kagome then you can't be bad, right?"

"Who is your Papa?"

"We are the adopted daughters of the Lord of the South, Gyakusetsu," Kiyoshi replied regally.

"Ah, yes, I like your father. We had interesting conversation yesterday." Kagome was now fully understanding what Sesshoumaru had meant by the Southern daughters having no filter on their mouths.

"Kagome, are you sure miko don't eat youkai?"

Kagome giggled and crouched down with the little girl. "What is your name?"

"Rei…"

"Well, Lady Rei, I promise that miko do not eat youkai, but if its any miko other than me you should stay away from them probably, okay? Many don't care if you're a nice demon or not, they will want to hurt you."

Her eyes grew large. "Why?"

"I don't know, Rei. But I'll see you at the party tonight, okay? I have to get dressed."

"O-kay!" she grinned, grabbing her sister's hand and tugging her down the hall. Kagome smiled and set off for her own room.

Mizuki and another youkai maid were waiting to prepare her, and Kagome put herself into their capable hands. She was scrubbed nearly raw, shampooed, brushed, and dressed in no time flat, and Kagome was once again feeling like a whale in the layers of silk. Her midnight blue kimono was offset by blossoms and starbursts of silver, and her obi and slippers were so pale a blue they were almost white. Her hair was up in a modest bun and the combs were silver to contrast her hair.

Just when Mizuki had decided her ready, there was a knock on the shoji screen. It was Sesshoumaru, who was absolutely stunning in red trimmed black. Kagome's eyes fell upon him and she forgot to breathe. He was feeling about the same, seeing the vision she created in the cobalt silk. Both stared at one another wordlessly until Mizuki cleared her throat. "My lord? My lady? You will be tardy." Shaking off the jitters, Kagome took Sesshoumaru's proffered arm and was swept away, leaving Mizuki with a triumphant and knowing smile on her face.

"Yet another night where you stop me in my tracks," he said suavely.

"Oh, a sweet talker, are you? But again, I think your beauty surpasses my own."

"Why do I think that is less of a compliment than it was last night?"

"It isn't, though I think I need to find a new escort who will not outshine me so! I'm a mere human priestess, after all."

"You are a mere pain, if you ask me."

Kagome giggled. "Seriously though, you look stunning in dark colors, it goes so well with your hair and skin."

"Thank you, Kagome. Shall we enter?"

"Do we have to?"

"Afraid so."

She sighed, "Then let's get it over with."


	28. Pursuit

Disclaimer: Don't own.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 28 - Pursuit_

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Kagome was in a jovial conversation with Kaori, Raku, and the Eastern lord Wasemaru. They were discussing child rearing, and Kagome was talking about Shippou and surprising the entire group. For a human to take a youkai child as their own was unheard of.

Kagome grinned. "My little Shippou always tries to be so brave. In battle he would always stand before me, trying his very best to ward me from danger… but the second he was looked at by the enemy he would run and hide under my hair. I appreciated that he tried, but I just hope when he's older he becomes braver. I would hate for him to be my height and trying to hide on my shoulders."

Wasemaru snickered. "My younger brother would run up and instigate battle with lower demons, just to run for my protection the second they struck at him."

"Let's hope young Kouga won't take after his uncle, shall we?" Raku said, and she missed Kagome's almost-assurance. She had caught herself, though.

"You certainly have a strange circle of friends, Kagome," Gyakusetsu chimed from her left, to which she smiled brilliantly.

"You don't know the half of it. Back home I traveled with a demon slayer, a monk, my Shippou, and an inuhanyou. I also have a friend who is a youkai and I am a sister to a wolf pack. Then there's this annoying little toad who adores me because I can save him from his lord's wrath, though he still insulted me at every turn. He was babysitter to a human girl who I adored as my own, as well."

Those who didn't already know gawked. Kagome grinned. "What? I make a lot of friends!"

Wasemaru tapped his chin with one finger. "You are a pack sister, are you?"

"Y-Yes…" she stuttered, hoping that he wouldn't question her too deeply. That could be bad.

"It takes strength to tame a wolf tribe. I give you praise for such a feat."

Kagome laughed. "It took nothing more than kindness and a few bandaged injuries. You can catch more flies with honey. So, Gyakusetsu, I heard that you have been known to keep strange company at times as well?"

He smiled in a far-off way, "Yes. In the last two hundred years I have taken in several youkai and two human orphans. My mate could not bear, so we took in young to raise."

"Whatever happened?" she asked softly. The others had gone off in conversation, but she stayed listening to him.

He smiled in regret. "At the time my mate was killed, my youkai sons were as well. The mortal girls, twins, died of old age quite a time before. I miss them all."

"Why not take in more? I understand what it is to take care of another, it is fulfilling somehow."

He smiled more directly to her. "You understand where others never would. Unfortunately, 'others' includes my new mate."

Kagome scowled and spoke very quietly; over the din in the room she would not be overheard by any but the intentional listener. "If she is so unlike you, why did you mate her?"

Gyakusetsu balked, stared at her, then laughed. He clutched his chest and had to brace his other hand on the floor to keep from falling over in his mirth and Kagome scowled. He laughed like there was no one hostile in the room, like the other end of the table did not exist. Unfortunately for them, it did.

"You know, Shikyo my mate, I find it hilarious that we are the only family that has not taken to the bewitchment this miko has cast." This was Gojou, of course, and speaking in an almost yell.

"Yes, I know what you mean. Three Lords are all so charmed by the little whore that they ignore their betters. Sad, isn't it?"

Kagome clenched her jaw. Why did everyone assume she had to use spells to make friends? And _why _was she assumed a whore? Gyakusetsu tensed, his laughter forgotten and Kagome growled her rather unimpressive human growl until Mattaki spoke up. "Northern Lord, my mandate from the previous night still stands. You will treat my guest with respect."

"And what will you do, Mattaki? Go to war over a human? I think not. I could slaughter her here and feast on her instead of this rubbish you call food and you would do nothing."

There was a chorus of growls now from all around Kagome, who was promptly grabbed by Sesshoumaru and pressed back into his chest protectively. This only brought more laughter to Gojou. "Mattaki, you let your heir frolic with a mortal bitch? Your race is truly doomed."

Mattaki stood, his eyes narrowed to mere slits. "Cease your impudence, Gojou. You have overstepped enough boundaries for this night. You will leave my home now or I will throw you out."

The laughter died and the Northern Lord stood, his expression fierce "You shall have to make me, imbecile."

Mattaki flexed his claws and Kagome could take no more. "My lord!" she shouted. She couldn't have this, not over her. This could very well lead to war or at least animosity, and she couldn't have it be her fault. She wrenched herself from Sesshoumaru's grip and bowed to Mattaki with tears in her eyes. "Please, Lord Mattaki, do not argue because of me. I am sorry to have created problems for you, I shall dismiss myself. Please, do nothing rash."

Mattaki grabbed her chin and lifted her face, his eyes smiling where he could not. "Child, do not blame yourself for others' mistakes. He not only insulted you, but my son and my brethren as well."

"But all at the cause of my presence! Please, allow me to take my leave into the gardens and spare you and your guests discomfort."

Mattaki sighed, but the pleading in her eyes broke him, he nodded and flashed her the tiniest of smiles to show her he rather her stay before releasing her to go. She was gone with a speed none knew she possessed. With her departure, Mattaki looked down his nose at the dragon. "If not for my guest, I would happily have taken your head, Gojou. Beware of whom you cross."

There were several grunts of approval from the table and Mattaki, who had not seen the exchange between the Southern Lord and his young ward, was surprised to see the hostility he held in his glare against the North for his treatment of the girl. Dinner continued in a much more terse silence before Gyakusetsu stood and swept from the room without a word, apparently to go in search of the miko.

Sesshoumaru saw this and tried to force himself to stay seated. It was rude for a part of the host family to depart before his guests, so he mentally tied himself down to stay away from his, he was sure now, soon-to-be-betrothed. Once everyone began to rise he was out the door in a flash.

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Kagome had retreated to the large bridge and now was happily relaxing to the sight of fireflies dancing over the water. When she felt the presence beside her, she assumed it Sesshoumaru and turned, only to find Gyakusetsu instead. "Oh, hello, my lord."

He smiled tightly, his extraordinary green eyes glinting. "You should have let us slaughter him."

She laughed. "No need. I will not be here long, so I want cause Mattaki as little trouble as possible while I'm here. Besides, I can rip into him in my own way away from the formal table. Him and his hussy daughters."

He chuckled at her before becoming serious. "Where will you go when you leave?" Kagome hesitated, clenching her jaw. He noticed this and turned her face to his. "I am trustworthy, I assure you. I can sense things of you that are almost otherworldly, so I will not be shocked by whatever you have to say."

Kagome sighed and shook her head. "It is not that I do not trust you, friend, but I just feel strange with the idea of telling anyone else. It could bring a lot of problems for the wrong person to know."

He smiled a little. "I understand if you wish not to tell me."

Kagome looked to him with a smile. In the moonlight, his dark markings stood out even more against his skin, and the inky depths of his hair did not even reflect the moonlight. She had the sudden urge to touch it, but refrained, chiding herself. It would be uncouth for her to begin stroking youkai lords. Looking into his pale green eyes she took a deep breath. "I am from the future, both five hundred and one thousand years. Is that unbelievable enough?"

Her partner paused but laughed richly in his honeyed tone. "Actually, that explains a lot. Well, if you must leave, perhaps we will meet again?"

"We haven't yet, but I hope we do."

They stood in a comfortable silence for several minutes before he spoke up again. "You asked me why I mated Aki. You see, in these times it is rare for a union to be for any other reason than political gain. I only wish I had met a woman like you, so that I may have known a true bond. My mate and her offspring are a bother, but I am loyal nonetheless. Perhaps someday I will get the chance to find what you obviously believe must be there in a mate."

Kagome turned sad eyes to him. "No one should have to live without love. Fondness and loyalty can only make you so happy. It is love that makes us thrive. I hope you find it, Setsu."

He smirked and touched her cheek affectionately before bowing and leaving her alone to her own thoughts. Love. It is what she wished for more than anything else, but when she had had it she turned it away. Looking back, she was sure Sesshoumaru had loved her, but she had been too caught up in her own misgivings to see it. Was time really an issue? After all, it was not her time, but his. If he chose to spend the five hundred years in waiting for her, who was she to stop him? Though she could never ask such a thing from him, why not let him do as he would?

Kagome wished passionately that she had known it for what it was prior to leaving. Now, what if she never had the chance? Her thoughts strayed to the younger version of her love, and she smiled. They had grown close. They were both such different people, yet so similar at the same time. They both had that magnetism to them that drew her, wrapped around her. Somehow it felt like a betrayal to her Sesshou to feel such things for his younger self, but how could that be? They were the same person!

She didn't notice the presence this time until it was right there, a brush of silk against the clasped hands at her back. She started and whirled, coming chest to solar plexus with Sesshoumaru, who looked rather melancholy.

"Hey Sesshou, what's wrong?"

He sighed and looked over her shoulder to the pond. "I don't know if I've ever been angrier in my life than when he spoke of killing you. I would have happily taken his head."

Kagome's eyes saddened but she pinked nonetheless. "Why would it be so upsetting? It was my fault for being here… if I wasn't…"

"No!" Sesshoumaru said forcibly, turning his burning gaze to hers. "Do not wish you were not here. And it was not your fault. That arrogant dragon thinks he is King of Nippon, and believes he must answer to no one. He will see, someday."

Kagome nodded and surprised her companion by leaning her head forward onto his chest. It was a comfort measure from the months spent clung to Sesshou while flying. She was, herself, surprised though by the warm arms that encircled her. She relaxed into his embrace so thoroughly she almost missed his question.

"Kagome, would you allow me to court you?"

She stilled and stiffened. Sesshoumaru almost bolted from her to keep from hearing a rejection. He stayed though. When she spoke, it was slightly muffled by his haori but he could hear the cautious hope in her voice. "But I will not be staying here, in this time. I know you would have told me if I was going to stay here and die in this time. So I will be leaving. It could be tomorrow or next week, or it could be in a year."

"I care very little for what period of time I have to find you in to have you. I do not know if we would even be compatible, but I would like to find out. So long as you hold my interest in the way you have I will not give up. There is no other woman to have ever caught my interest in such a way, and I wish to be with you. Youkai do not court as humans do, though, and though it is not a iron-clad agreement, it is the same as being promised."

Kagome raised her head from his chest and stepped back. Sesshoumaru took this as a refusal and turned to go but was caught by her warm hands. "I would like that, Sesshou," she whispered.

This time she saw the wide grin that graced his features and her heart skipped multiple beats. His beauty bordered on angelic when he smiled, and Kagome couldn't have breathed if she had wanted to. Somehow in that moment, oxygen wasn't important.

He pulled something from his haori and hung it in front of her. "Wearing this will mark you as my betrothed. It is not binding, it simply means that so long as you wear it you accept my courtship and are promised to only I. It will protect you from life threatening situations, gift you with a bit of my healing capabilities, and you will know whenever I am near. It will heat against your skin when I am close but yet unseen by you, helping you to know when you can find me, or when I return from trips away. Will you accept it?"

Kagome nodded shyly and turned around so he could clasp it around her neck. When she turned back, she wasn't even able to gaze upon him before she was scooped into his embrace and his soft lips were crashed down on hers. Kagome relaxed almost instantly, melting into him and returning the passionate kiss with fervor of her own. In that moment Kagome swore all was right with the world and nothing could never not be, and light seemed to pour down from the heavens themselves on the couple.

To be short, Kagome lost herself. Her arms wrapped around his neck as her legs gave way and she felt herself lifted from the ground, the heated open-mouthed kiss lasting until they had to either break apart or suffocate. He pressed his forehead to hers and she blushed so deep a red that in the moonlight it looked purple. He grinned and set her back on her feet but kept his arms around her to steady her still quavering legs.

"Wow," Kagome murmured. Sesshoumaru laughed.

"We should go inside and join in the festivities; things will be much more relaxed now. Though I still request you do not purify any royalty, you may free your tongue."

Kagome grinned against his haori. "Let's go, then."

She took his hand as they walked, and though he was not accustomed to such a thing, the affection in the gesture was noted. He wrapped his fingers around hers and they strode back indoors and into the figurative lion's den.


	29. Confrontation

Disclaimer: No own. Nothing else to say.

I also don't own Kougaiji…his name and looks were convenient to my strained imagination. Yay, Saiyuki.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 29 - Confrontation_

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"So, I guess we were right, sisters. Looks like the Prince over there has taken a human whore. What is it with dogs taking to the stench of decay?" It was one of the triplets, and Kagome grinned. She squeezed Sesshoumaru's hand and stepped away from him.

"You know, girls," Kagome began, smiling at the trio, "perhaps at dinner I gave the impression of being a demure and weak little human, but I assure you that's far from the truth."

They scowled in unison and the pink-crested one, whom Kagome had dubbed the ringleader, stepped forward. "Know your place, mortal wench. You are undeserving of a youkai like Sesshoumaru."

Kagome laughed liltingly, her voice sugary sweet. "Oh but, my dears, how do you know what is deserved? Stay away from me and mine and I won't have to show you my bad side."

The three scowled and opened their mouths to say more, but Kagome was already back at Sesshoumaru's side and ignoring them completely. They conferred and decided to gain a plan of attack; one of them would get the Western Heir, for sure.

Kagome refused to dance; the archaic patterns and steps foreign to her. This was all right with her escort, though, because he didn't enjoy it anyway. They were talking peacefully until a high pitched squeal broke their conversation. "Ohh Sessy, I know you'd come to your senses. That's my boy!" Kaori grinned, hugging the both of them tightly.

"Mother..." Sesshoumaru began, but another bone crushing hug stopped his words. Kagome just looked confused.

"This, silly girl!" Kaori said, tapping the pendant. "I am happy for the both of you! I trust you with my pup, my friend."

Kagome blushed, but Kaori's excitement was contagious and she found herself grinning as well. She soon swept away, presumably to inform Mattaki. Kagome sighed and looked out over the group. Several of the castle town's noble families had been invited in for the celebrations as well, so the rather large hall was crammed with youkai. Kagome stayed close to Sesshoumaru.

Whether her escort or not, since they were not formally announced as being betrothed, Sesshoumaru was obligated to give a few dances to the youkai who approached him. In these times Kagome tried to swallow her jealousy and stayed off to the side and hopefully off radar of the possibly hostile youkai.

The guard she had come to befriend, Kougaiji, stood nearby to her. Though he was not supposed to converse with the partygoers, Kagome had prodded him until he talked to her. Since it was a formal evening, his usual armor was replaced with a more elegant white kimono. The long burgundy red hair that he usually left down was in tails and he had combed his unruly bangs for once. She couldn't help but think he looked attractive, though she was careful not to flirt. Kagome chatted with him amicably, feeling more comfortable to have someone to talk to in the intimidating atmosphere.

Kagome buried her face in her hands "Kougaiji, I'm bored! If all these women weren't trying to get Sesshou he would at least be here talking to me."

"Calm down, Kagome. Am I not sufficient company?"

She popped her head up and grinned. "Of course you are. But I just became engaged and within the first hour of its commencement I am without him. I will be so glad for all these people to be gone."

She gave a short wave to the Inuyoukai before darting out the terrace doors, walking to the edge and looking down over the lake. The moonlight shimmered over it and called to her; would it be so inviting to swim in? She wondered if she could talk Sesshoumaru down to it for that reason. She and Rin had swam several times in it the summer before, and she knew it was brisk but she wanted to dive in anyway. It called to her soul; anything to get away from the stuffy reception room.

"Well, little miko, it seems I have you cornered," a drawling voice mocked, and she swiveled on her heel to face the voice that was far too close for comfort. Her assailant stood sneering only a foot away, his steel grey hair whipping in the night's breeze.

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "So you have. What do you want, Gojou?"

"That is _Lord_ Gojou to you, little wench."

"Sorry, but I only give respect where it is earned."

His sneer dissolved into a scowl. "How dare you, insolent bitch? Your trash is soiling Nippon and you dare to tell me I must earn your respect? I have heard the blood of a miko is particularly satisfying, shall we see?"

He caught her hard against the railing, Kagome's joints popping from the impact. She grunted and struggled against his taloned hand, lashing out with her extremities in hopes of gaining a hit. Her attacker smirked. "Now now, this won't hurt much. If you stop struggling, you might even enjoy it."

He dug his claws into her neck, missing arteries but puncturing deeply. She tried to gasp but could not, the pain making her vision go white. The dragon raised a claw to his face and licked the blood, smiling, "I heard correctly it seems," he chortled, leaning back to her bleeding neck. Kagome flung her hands up to his face and shot all the power she could muster into them, raking her blunt nails down his cheeks.

The dragon roared and dropped her, leaving her teetering on the edge of the wall. She heaved herself back onto the balcony floor and met the wide, angry eyes of the lord across from her. His face sported angry red, bleeding burns across both sides; those wounds would take at least a week to heal. Even if he killed her now, Kagome could smile knowing the damage she had caused. He rose to his feet and dashed at her, and Kagome tossed up a barrier just in time to deflect him back.

"You can't hold that for long, bitch," he choked out through his fury. He would kill her for her disrespect. No human had ever dared stand up to him, and there was no way he would let her live. No matter how afraid she got she stood strong, and he hated that he couldn't make her cower. Gojou swore to himself that he would break her.

He smacked into the barrier again, and Kagome screamed. The pain in her neck was magnified by the attacks; she hoped Sesshoumaru or Mattaki would soon pick out the scent of her blood. She glared at her opposition. "I can hold it long enough, asshole."

The dragon's eyes were bleeding ruby red and bulging grotesquely. She was pissing him off and proud, but she knew more strength meant less time she could hold her barrier. She had to drop it now and hope that before he levied a killing blow she could muster it one more time, or that her new accessory would do it's job. If she held the barrier now she would go down just as quickly.

He saw the barrier fall and grinned, his bulbous eyes glowing in the dark. He grabbed her by the neck and lifted her. "Not so brave now, are you wench?"

"Shut up!" she choked out, her vision swimming.

He snarled and pitched her hard, but in his rage didn't pay attention to where he threw her. She smashed through the shoji doors and into the hall. The crowd parted as she got to her feet, the last vestiges of her holy power snapping in a palpable aura around her. She glowered at the dragon who had chased her in. "Get the hell away from me, lizard."

"Where will you run, bitch? The others here would kill you just as easily as I."

"No, they wouldn't," a bass resounded, and Mattaki stood forward, Gyakusetsu following behind him. "You attack my guest in my home, and think any would be as foolish as you? Get out, and take your family with you. You are no longer welcome here."

"I was planning to leave long before this. Who would want to remain when you keep such filth? I swear to you that I will be your downfall, Western Lord. Your family, your followers, and that damned miko will fall at my sword. The West will be mine!"

The dragon stalked from the room, leaving a weakening miko and two very angry lords behind. Mattaki ran and held Kagome close to him. "Daughter, are you alright? Kagome!"

She blinked sapphire eyes slowly up at him, managing a weak smile. "Glad you came, Mattaki. Where is Sesshou?"

He stilled. "I assumed he was with you, I haven't seen him in quite some time."

Gyakusetsu walked to the pair. "I saw him leaving to avoid the triplets out to the courtyard, but surely he would have come back by now after the display of power on Kagome's part?"

Kagome turned to him, steadying herself on her own feet. "Setsu, did they follow him?"

"Yes, they did."

"No, Mattaki, we have to go after him! Those stupid girls, I'll purify them if they did anything to Sesshou…"

He shushed her and scooped her into his arms. "We shall go, friend. I don't like the sound of it anymore than you do."

The trio left a still blinking hall behind them, everyone unsure of exactly what to do. They rushed through the halls in youkai fashion, Kagome gripping the front of Mattaki's kimono to keep from the woozy feelings at bay.

In the courtyard was not the sight they expected. The three princesses stood around Sesshoumaru's prone body, a faint glow signifying the binding spell in place. They hadn't noticed the new arrivals yet.

"Right now, Father is offing your little whore, Prince. As soon as she's gone I will simply force you to mark me and then you will have no choice but to mate me."

Kagome snarled and pushed herself out of Mattaki's arms. "This is mine," she hissed, striding purposefully towards the group. "I don't think so, you stupid girls. Let him up. Now."

Their 'leader' flinched. "What are you doing here?"

"Go pack your things and get the hell out of this castle, I would hate to have to purify any of you. Your father is to be gone within the hour, and you will be joining him. Don't make me kill you."

She leapt towards the miko, breaking the binding spell and releasing Sesshoumaru in the process. He held onto the other two while Kagome circled the pink-crested dragon. It leapt for her and she raised a lilac-coated hand, placing it on the other girls chest and blowing her backwards. Her anger had tapped deeper levels of her power, and she knew she would pay for the overuse for a week. But she was not going to back down. With heaving, angry steps she approached the recovering youkai and held her hand out again. "Leave in peace or I swear I will purify you."

The princess stood with a mutinous glare, brushing off her kimono. She flipped on her heel and stalked back into the palace, her newly released sisters following after. Kagome looked over to Sesshoumaru and smiled. "I think I want to start this day over, would that be alright?" she collapsed to the ground in a heap.

Sesshoumaru pushed past his father and lifted the girl in his arms while Gyakusetsu opened her eyelids and checked her breathing. "She has only swooned. She had to use her powers far too much, and she needs rest. You should get a healer to look at the punctures on her neck, too, they look deep."

Sesshoumaru cringed at her appearance. Blood ran down her neck in frozen rivulets, dried in place. Her face looked gaunt, somehow, and had hardly any color left in it. Her beautiful new kimono was crumpled and ripped and he hugged her closer to himself.

Mattaki placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "She will be fine, my son. Take her, I need to go inform your mother of the happenings and call on a guard to be posted at Lady Kagome's door."

"She is fond of Kougaiji," he said softly, brushing the girl's bangs back.

"Then I will assign him. Go, take her to her chambers, I will have the healer sent up."

Sesshoumaru obeyed and dashed nimbly through the halls. He held his betrothed close to his chest and tried to keep his raging temper in check as he smelt Gojou and his disgusting kin. He silently hoped that his father would declare war on the North so they could slaughter them all.

He pulled back Kagome's coverlet and slipped her under, pausing at what to do about her clothing. He deftly sliced through the layers and pulled them off her gently; it was nothing he hadn't seen before, right? They were stained in her blood and the only layer that mattered was ripped anyway so he tossed them to the floor.

His mouth went dry as he looked at her, her slim body bathed in moonlight. He eyed the strange scraps of cloth she wore as undergarments and resisted the urge to touch them to see what material they were. He tore his eyes away and pulled out a plain white yakuta, dressing her quickly and covering her body from his own thoughts.

He sat beside her and ran clawed fingertips over her cheek, watching her sigh and nuzzle into his hand. He smiled and cupped her face in his hand, seeing her smile contentedly. He spied the necklace he had given her only hours before peeking out from her robe and tucked it in more securely, a smug grin tugging at his lips. She was his, at least for now.

He stood to leave her to her rest and was stopped by a hand pulling his back. "Stay with me, Sesshou," she murmured sleepily, and he sat back beside her. Lying down for a moment wouldn't hurt. He slipped down beside her, his arm securely around her waist and buried his face in her hair. Sleep came deeply and easily for both.

* * *

When morning's rays touched the pair, Sesshoumaru was roused. He had not slept so long nor so deeply in years, and he smiled at the woman beside him. Apparently the healer had come in the night, because her neck was cleaned and bandaged. How he hadn't awoken to her presence he didn't know, but he was thankful for it anyway. He sat up and slid from the bed and out of the room, leaving the sleeping woman alone to recuperate.

At breakfast, only the Eastern family remained; his mother told him Gyakusetsu had left at first light with his kin and gave his farewells to both he and Kagome. Sesshoumaru politely answered inquiries into the girl's health but picked at his food with a frown on his face.

Whereas just the night before he had given her that necklace in hopes of ensuring they were compatible, this morning he could think of no reason not to just take her as her own as soon as she was recovered. What had his reasoning been? Oh, yes, he was afraid they weren't well-matched. That was quite the lie he had told himself. He sighed inaudibly and pursed his firm lips. The only obstacle in his way was likely Kagome herself; with a will like hers he doubted he would be able to convince her he had changed his mind and did not need an assessment period.

So he would wait, and give himself every chance to second guess his choice. Would he really be satisfied with her, a mere human? He disregarded that thought immediately. Somewhere in the last week he had ceased even thinking of her as a mortal - she was Kagome. Fire, lighting, storm, and flood, all encased within a temporary frame of petite beauty.

It was a dangerous thing for him to stop thinking of her mortality, because she was surely that. He would have her for mere decades before she would wilt, fade, and finally disappear from the earth. Maybe she would reincarnate? Surely a soul as powerful as hers would have that privilege. But then that reincarnation would not be her. Perhaps similar, but not the same. He wanted this one, Kagome, not some different version of her.

He dismissed himself and left the castle; he needed time away to think. His waterfall beckoned.


	30. Bliss

Disclaimer: No own. Also do not own the song that I chose for this chapter (ending A/N, you know the drill)

**Warning!** Citrus-scented content in this chapter.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 30 - Bliss_

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Kagome laid her book on her chest and looked up at her silver-haired prince, a frown marring her brow. She was thinking again, which usually led to questions Sesshoumaru didn't want to answer. He sighed and looked down into her eyes.

It had been a moon cycle since the Decennial Banquet, and life had been as quiet as it could be with Kagome around. They had spent most afternoons this way, in the garden, her head on his lap while he meditated and rested after his strenuous morning training. In the evenings, sometimes joined by his mother or father, they talked for hours at a time. Sesshoumaru had yet to become bored with any aspect of her, though he had found plenty of annoying quirks.

She asked far too many questions. How he was feeling, his opinion on her hair, what he was thinking at that precise moment… it went on and on. She pulled on his hair when she felt he wasn't listening to her. She stomped her foot like a child when she was angry. She rolled her eyes at him at least daily, if not hourly. Her scowls wrinkled her forehead. If he made her mad enough, she would walk away and refuse to speak to him for hours at a time.

But through it all, everything he learned only endeared him further. He thought perhaps that this must be what love truly was: not to love besides a person's faults, but to love them with them. He smiled and looked down at her. He hadn't told her, but he thought it must be obvious.

Now she was frowning again. He hated that, it made him want to rub her face until it smoothed again. He waited patiently for her to ask whatever she was going to ask.

"Sesshou?"

"Yes?"

"What will you do when I leave?"

He paused. They had avoided this conversation for good reason. He frowned as well. "Why do you ask?"

"I want to know. I know you will see me again… but it's a long time."

"I will simply go about my duties until you return to me."

"Sesshoumaru," she sighed, raising her head from his thigh and sitting up, her forehead to his. "You say it like it's so easy. I worry about you. Even for a youkai, several centuries is a long time. It will be like no time at all for me, but it is an eternity for you. I want to make sure you know what you're doing."

"I know what I am doing."

"Sesshou…" she was using that tone again. The chiding one.

"Stop, Kagome. I am content to be with you, and if I must wait a millennium, then I must. I will not lose you to time. I doubt there would ever be another to fill your place."

"What if one comes along? What if some youkai who is better than me, and more perfect to your wants than I ever was comes?"

He glared at her. "And what if I get run over by a hoard of kittens and chewed to death? 'What if's are foolish things, and I will not answer them."

"I just mean…" she sighed and closed her eyes. "I would want you to be happy. Promise me that if you find someone better you will go to her."

Sesshoumaru pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kagome…"

"Promise me, Sesshoumaru!"

"I promise you. But, obviously if I choose you over them you are the better one."

Kagome paused and smiled, one of her luminous ones that made his heart sing. He stole a chaste but lingering kiss from her and straightened up again, resuming his meditation. With that done Kagome laid back down and picked up her book, a novel from her own time. She smiled as she watched his stoic form. How had things come to this?

Fall would soon be setting in, and Kagome gazed wistfully at the cedar that overhung their position. Soon its leaves would begin to fall. Would she still be there to see the first snow grace the gardens? More and more she hoped so. She had found a home in this era, a place within the walls with Mattaki, Kaori, and Sesshoumaru. Her heart broke to know that once she left, she would never see the older youkai again. Both died such violent deaths, and far too early. A tear escaped Kagome's eye unnoticed.

What would InuYasha think of this turn of events in her life? She wished she could speak to him again in her dreams, but she could not contact a spirit not yet having lived, let alone died. What would he say to know she was completely and wholly in love with his hated brother? Would he be happy for the happiness and contentment she had found? Would he be jealous? Would he curse at her for choosing Sesshoumaru of all people?

Kagome sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Yes, that is exactly what InuYasha would do. All of them, likely, but the last more than anything else. Would he be able to forgive her? She hoped he would, because no matter how much she loved him she would not give up this happiness even for him. She had never dreamed of being so complete. She was afraid, sometimes, of the strength of her own feelings. She had yet to utter the words to Sesshoumaru, afraid of what his reaction would be.

He heard her sigh and opened one golden eye. "What are you thinking of to make you so melancholy?"

She met his single-eyed gaze. "InuYasha. I was imagining what he would do to find out about you and I."

"And what would he do?"

Kagome giggled, though without much mirth. "He would likely scream at me for a while about how stupid I was to be with you, remind you of the times you tired to kill me and him, use every curse word he knew, turn green from jealousy, then finally be happy that I was happy, I think."

Sesshoumaru opened his other eye. "How many times did I try to kill you, and why would he be jealous?"

Kagome sighed. "Me personally? I'm not sure… at least once very deliberately and almost successfully. I wonder… now that we are together this way, I would think that memory would leave, or I would gain a new one to replace it…" she shrugged it off. "Anyway, you've tried to kill InuYasha dozens of times. Once you very nearly succeeded when you put your hand through his stomach. As for why he would be jealous…"

She had trailed off and Sesshoumaru rose an eyebrow expectantly. She continued after some thought. "InuYasha was my best friend. We traveled together for a long time. I was the first and only person he ever trusted completely, because I was the first to ever accept him for who he was. Had things been different, had Kikyou not been resurrected, had I not had her soul in the first place… maybe I wouldn't be here today."

"Did you love him?" Sesshoumaru forced out the question.

"Yes," she said slowly. "I did, but it was not meant to be. Our love was innocent and pure. I am not even sure if it ever could have evolved into anything romantic. I never will know. But the love I felt for him…" she choked off her words and shook her head. "It was not as romantic of a love as I thought it was at the time."

Sesshoumaru exhaled. "I do not wish to offend you, but I am glad he did not see what he had in you. "

Kagome smiled and nuzzled into his stomach with her nose before sitting up. "It's almost dinnertime, Sesshou, we should go."

They stood and walked back to the castle, hand in hand.

* * *

Kagome often wondered if she was changing anything. Coming here was obviously fate, but how had she changed the future? And if there were things changed, why didn't she know about them? Surely her memories would have to be altered for a few instances, or she would have to be given a new set to go with the old. Perhaps the memories would not set in until she had left this time period? And if that was the case, would she remember the way things had been before?

There were a million possibilities, and Kagome shivered in her spot under the moonlight. What if she was wrong and things had changed drastically? Had she been meant to be with Sesshoumaru this way? She doubted it. If he cared for her like this, why would he have targeted her that day in Mattaki's tomb? So then, after she left, would he find the girl who had been his first love, or had she taken her place in history?

What if, because of her relationship with him, he simply snatched her away from InuYasha immediately? Would he be so rash? Or would he just wait until their friendship, and tell her of their past together? Perhaps nothing would change and he would wait it out, knowing he risked keeping her from going back in time. If that were it, would he still be so cold?

There were so many questions and very few answers to go with them. She shook her head, knowing she would have to wait to find them. She could not bring herself to regret this relationship; no use worrying over the consequences. Kagome shifted her weight from foot to foot as she waited for Sesshoumaru to join her; usually he was not this late.

She was amused that Sesshoumaru had told her to meet him here, on this balcony. It was the same she had fought with Gojou, and she once again found herself admiring the view. The placid lake looked inviting, and she fought the urge to run down through the stairs and halls to get to it.

Hands slid around her waist in a playful fashion, sending a chill down Kagome's spine. She looked up and smiled as he spoke. "Father was informing me that we will be going south for a week."

"Aww, c'mon! Why?"

"Border checks. He is jaded to doing them alone, so he feels like torturing me would alleviate his boredom."

Kagome sighed. "When do you leave?"

"Dawn."

"Darnit," Kagome said sadly, kicking a leaf that had settled within range.

"For tonight though, would you join me for a dip?"

Kagome turned around in his embrace. "My suit is ruined because of that stupid water sprite last time, remember? But it sounds lovely. I had just been thinking about how balmy tonight was. But no, I will not go in nude, you wouldn't turn around last time you suggested that. Remember how that turned out?"

"Your 'bathing suit' showed just as much of your skin as your undergarments, wear them."

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "When have you been looking at my undergarments?"

"I am youkai, we can be very stealthy." Kagome turned maroon and hit a now laughing Sesshoumaru across the chest. "But in all seriousness… you will be under the water, so why not?"

"Pervert… will you let me get in without looking this time?"

Sesshoumaru didn't want to, but sighed and nodded. Perhaps she wouldn't notice if he peeked…

"And no peeking!"

Maybe she would. Well, she said nothing about when she got out. He hid his face in her hair and grinned wickedly. He held out a hand to her as they descended through the castle and he held her as he leapt the gates. Within minutes they were on a secluded stretch of lakeshore and Sesshoumaru was refusing to turn.

"You are not getting in the water, you are undressing. You forbid me from looking while you were getting in."

Kagome glared fiercely at him, causing him to shrink back out of habit. Her temper had shown itself several times and it was enough to strike fear into any youkai's heart. He forced himself not to cower and sighed. He would have to turn. He kept his back to her while she pulled off her yakuta and folded it, her slippers on top, and sprinted to the waterline.

She tested the water with a toe, all the while keeping her eye on a certain peeking-tom youkai. It was cold. Really cold. She shivered. "Wow, that's really cold."

She glared and put her arms across her chest as he appeared beside her, but he was behaving and not staring. He touched the water. "You are being a child, it is fine."

Kagome scoffed. "If it's so nice, then you get in!"

Kagome's face flushed and she couldn't protest as he very resolutely began pulling off his clothing. She hardly managed to spin in the other direction as he began untying his hakama, earning her one of the laughs she loved so much. "Who is the pervert now?"

"You were the one tossing your clothes off with me _right there_."

"You are the one aroused."

"If I had a nose like yours, I am sure there are plenty of times you are."

Sesshoumaru didn't answer this; she was right of course. He grinned and approached her, running his claws up her spine gently. "Are you going to join me or not?"

She shivered. "Maybe."

She should have known better. In an instant she was tossed over the shoulder of a very naked dog youkai, and her face was having a rather close confrontation with his backside. Not that it was a bad backside. He laughed again as she kicked and screamed and leapt into the chilly lake waters, leaving Kagome to kick to the surface and splutter. "Jerk!"

He grinned as he treaded water. "You don't mind so much."

She grinned back and they swam for a while, splashing and acting like children. It was nice to feel free, to ignore the plagues of everyday life and just mess about. She squealed as he would pick her up and throw her, and usually ended up dunked for his troubles.

Finally, the night getting later, Kagome began to tire. She turned to her prince and smiled somewhat sleepily and he approached her, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Are you sure you want to get out?"

Kagome gulped and hesitated. That indecision was swiftly snatched by Sesshoumaru, who pulled her body flush to his. She gasped as he kissed her bruisingly, his tongue sweeping instantly into her mouth and her fingers tangling in his heavy, wet hair.

He pulled them towards shore just enough to ensure he could touch the sandy lake bottom before trailing his lips in open-mouthed kisses across her jaw, down her neck, his fangs grazing her fluttering pulse. They merged, melted together in a symphony of ecstasy. Her head and neck arched away from him as he nibbled her collarbone, a low moan escaping her throat.

Her fingers traced invisible patterns across his shoulders and back, alternately stroking and digging into his skin. The water all but forgotten, she wrapped her legs around his waist and he groaned as his hips thrust against hers. His claws fell against the straps of her bra and he sliced them, doing the same between the cups. She didn't even notice until the material fell away.

Kagome gasped, only her lace panties separating her from the firm expanses of his body. She dipped her fingers into the contours of his upper body, panting as his lips ran across her bare chest. Her body trembled under his caress.

She hadn't even felt them move, but suddenly she was being laid on the shore, the water still lapping at her legs that he knelt between. With a tug she had his mouth on hers again, seeking and hungry, her body arching up to meet the heat radiating off of him.

As he pulled away from the searing kiss and began trailing his lips and tongue down her body Kagome hissed and he looked up in worry, only to see a look of bliss etched into her features. He ran his hands up her wet skin, over her hips and ribs, pausing on her breasts, and settled on her face. He cupped it between his hands and kissed her passionately, lovingly, trying to convey in his action the emotions he felt.

She returned the feelings, completely, fluidly, the foreign motions seeming second nature to her. Every touch, though hesitant, was natural and unashamed. Her small hands ran across the planes of his chest and stomach, over his narrow hips and around his back. His mouth set her afire everywhere it touched, her skin suddenly seeming too uncomfortable.

She freed herself as his tongue flicked across a budded nipple, throwing her inhibitions to the wind and living in the moment. She had never imagined such feelings, such sensations; the feelings of need, of required completion, of the desire to be filled.

And then the world went white.

* * *

Kagome awoke, peering around with a scowl. Moments before she had been experiencing heights and levels of pleasure she had only imagined… and now she was alone in a white room. Great. She kicked an imaginary rock and put her hands on her hips.

"Did I pass out, or did I just wake up from a lovely dream? Oh good gods, I hope I didn't pass out! How embarrassing!"

"Child, I called you here. I have been attempting to for several weeks, but since I must contact you through the jewel it has been difficult. Only now that you relaxed so completely could I speak to you."

Kagome whirled, her previous annoyance and embarrassment forgotten for an aching fear. "Midoriko?"

* * *

A/N: Poor things, interrupted by that damn Midoriko! They would have done it too, if not for that meddling priestess and her dang jewel too! Lame. Sorry. XD

_"Everything about you pains my envying_  
_Your soul can't hate anything_  
_Everything about you is so easy to love_  
_They're watching you from above."_


	31. Memories

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha etc. No own Hakkai, but I felt like just using his name and visage for a character so I wouldn't have to try and make up a name. Huzzah!

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* * *

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 31 - Memories_

* * *

"Why did you… why am I here? Are you taking me away? I didn't even get to say goodbye to Kaori and Mattaki!"

Midoriko placed her hands on either side of the girl's face. "I am not taking you away yet, young Kagome, calm yourself. How are my old friends?"

Kagome looked relieved, then puzzled, then she nodded. "They're fine, for now. But you are a spirit, you see all, you know of both their deaths."

"Yes, I do. I hope to join them above once I am free, as I miss them both greatly. Now, we have much to talk about."

Midoriko sat and motioned for Kagome to do the same. Kagome looked into her eyes. "Why are you here if not to take me? Did I mess something up?"

"No, child. I have been trying to contact you to tell you our time here grows short. You have already set in motion those events you were meant to, there is but a minor task left for you, and it is a simple one. Once it is completed, it is only a matter of time before you are sent back."

Kagome's eyes filled with tears. "So I have to say goodbye? I'll never see them again. They've become like family."

"They have lived long and love-filled lives. They will be content in knowing all they completed in their time."

"What about Sesshou? Will he still be so cold after all this? Have I changed anything?"

"That is something you must ask him yourself. As for changes… I honestly cannot answer that. Since I have been here with you, I do not know what you have done differently. I am contacting you by the portion of my soul encased in the jewel, and the jewel in this time is in the Demon Exterminator village, so I did not see you do it the first time through. Even I do not know if fate is linear, though I know you were meant to do certain things in this time."

"Like what? Can't you just tell me?"

"When we have more time, once you are gone from this place I can explain it all to you. It will not be until we have left this place that we will know any changes to occur, since technically none of it has happened yet. Right now, my power grows weak. This is the last time I will ever be able to contact you until you release me, so I will be clear. Once you leave this era, I will send you back to the Feudal Era. I need my power to be active before your acts can purify the jewel. Here, it is dormant because of its current existence."

Kagome's heart soared. "So I'm going back to Sesshoumaru?"

Midoriko sighed and smiled sadly, "Only until the next sunset. I am sorry, but you belong in your own era, Kagome. Once the sun touches the horizon there, you will be put back into your time, in the well house near to your family. I'm sorry," she whispered as she saw the tears falling down the young girl's cheeks.

"So you're just teasing me, is that it? I'm just your damned pawn? Was I just some cheap sacrifice for you? You send me all over hell and back, all across time, and now you just rip it all away from me?"

Midoriko flinched and grasped Kagome's hands. "Kagome, you are no one's pawn. Do you not see? These things I set you out to do have had an effect on all you have! You will understand someday."

"But I want to stay with Sesshoumaru! I want to see Mattaki and Kaori and Sango and Miroku and Rin again! But I never will, because in my time they are all _dead! _Even if youkai still exist in my era, I will never see them again!"

Midoriko gathered her into her arms. "Yes, you are correct. And even I do not know if youkai still exist, as I was never truly free in your time. Kagome, your fate has tied so deeply into that of the world's… and the gods and the spirits thank you. We all only wish there was more to be done. Please Kagome, accept all that destiny has offered you, accept that you are a better person for all of this. Do not turn away the gifts you have received."

Kagome sniffed and leaned into her embrace. "I know it's selfish. I don't want to lose them."

"Oh, child, loved ones are never lost. You know this. Now, go back to the child of my dearest friends and tell them you will soon be departing, and remember my words."

Kagome nodded to the priestess and the light faded. Awakening, Kagome found herself still on the lake's banks and covered in Sesshoumaru's haori, her head in his lap. He looked down as soon as her eyes opened, and she met his gaze. She burst into tears.

"What's wrong, my Kagome?"

She sobbed heavily, her eyes pinched closed. He stroked her hair, at a loss. The jewel around her neck had begun glowing suddenly and he had seen her go slack, and had known somehow that she was alright. But now she cried as if the weight of the world was crushing her. He held her and ran his claws through her hair, growling low in his chest to soothe her. After several minutes she calmed, moving herself up into his lap and wrapping her arms around him.

"It was…Midoriko. She told me my tasks are almost complete, and that I will soon be leaving. Oh Sesshou, I don't want to go!"

Her sobs began anew and Sesshoumaru held her tighter, his grip like iron, like he could bind her to him. He continued the purring growl and shushed her softly, stroking his fingers across her cheeks. "You have known that you would be leaving since you arrived, my Kagome. Why is it so hard now? You will not have to wait to see me."

She felt broken. "But it's different now! I don't want to leave you alone, I'll never see them again, I don't want you to have to go through all the terror and death alone!"

"What death and terror? Tell me, Kagome, I deserve to know!"

"I... I can't! I wish I could, I wish you could change it all, but you can't. It would change everything if you knew. Oh Sesshou, I'm so sorry!"

"Is it… will it be my mother and father?"

Kagome stopped breathing and met his pained gaze. After several long moments she nodded and exhaled. "It will be. Gods, but I wish I could tell you and them how, how I wish I could just make them live and have the lives they should! And you, you don't deserve the pain. I don't want it for any of you, and I am laden with the knowledge and guilt. I know what's to come and I can do nothing to stop it!"

"What will it change, my Kagome? Surely nothing so bad?"

She shook her head. "Everything! If they live, then everything I know will change. I can't explain it to you, it will only anger you. But their fates are written and I can do nothing."

Sesshoumaru pursed his lips, his eyes dull and pained. Kagome clung to his bare chest as she cried, willing him to understand. "Your father knows. Not how, but he knows the circumstances, and he knows why I cannot change it. He says he is without regret. Please, understand like he did, Sesshou, I don't want you to be angry with me!"

He cupped her face and kissed her cheeks, wiping the tears away with his lips. "I am not angry with you, this fate is not your fault. And pain is what makes us, my Kagome. I will survive and I will see you again. I will not lose you no matter how difficult the years may be."

She sniffled and laid against him, wrapped in his comforting embrace and trying to give her own comfort at the same time.

She smiled shakily and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Without his youkai hearing he never would have heard her reply, but he smiled as he did, "Yes, we should, love. Will you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone."

Sesshoumaru stood, gathering her yakuta and slippers and pulled her closer against him as they headed back to the palace.

* * *

The days of Sesshoumaru's absence were bleak for Kagome, and she longed for nothing more than for him to be there to hold her in his arms. She could end up disappearing any moment, and she feared she would not get to hold him again before she did. Her goodbyes with Kaori had been hard, her friend holding her and wishing her the best. Mattaki had told her of her fate, and she accepted her eventual death and knowledge she would not live to see her son and the miko together again.

Kagome now was going through the items in her backpack, trying to decide things to leave for them. Most items were too dangerous to leave in the past, but she chose out ones she thought would be useful and appreciated. For Kaori, a modern hairbrush. The wooden picks of the time were terrible, and every girl needed a good hair brushing sometimes. For Mattaki, aside from the photo of InuYasha she had given him, she would leave him all the ink pens she had with her. He had become infatuated with them during her stay, saying it made his hands cramp less than with the quill pens. For Sesshoumaru… Kagome wasn't sure what to give him. Her eyes lit up and she decided on the best present, digging deeper through her bottomless pack.

She scowled, only able to find one cartridge. So, she had two shots left in the camera already, and a cartridge with another five. Seven photos would have to do. She sighed and put them aside for whenever father and son arrived home. She had eight packages of ramen left, too, and pulled them out with a smile. She would treat them all to a dinner before she left; perhaps something to go with the ever-loved noodles? There were many foodstuffs she didn't have access to in this time, so her ideas were limited.

Kagome laid down on her futon and stared out at the starlit night. How much longer did she have? An hour? A day? A month? A year? It could be anything, Midoriko hadn't been exactly forthcoming. Two halves of her warred within her, one to stay as long as possible and another to take her away as fast as she could go. She wasn't sure how much longer she could bear the pain of imminent departure.

She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew a pair of strong arms were wrapped around her waist. The pendant around her neck flashed hotly, leaving her no doubt as to who it was. "You came back," she garbled out, her eyes trying to open.

"Hush, my love, it is after the middle night. Sleep, I merely wished to join you."

She smiled and turned over, sliding her head between his arm and body and laying on his chest. "You'd better still be here when I wake up," she said with a yawn.

"I will be."

She closed her eyes, sleep enveloping her again. "I love you, Sesshou," she whispered in half consciousness. Sesshoumaru heard and smiled with brightened eyes.

* * *

"No, no, no. Darnit, Sesshou, you're being difficult!" she shouted, the hand not gripping her camera on her hip. Sesshoumaru laughed and turned to her.

"I do not understand your instruction, woman."

She huffed and walked to the trio. "All right, Sesshoumaru you have to stand in the middle. Just stand there, and when I say to, you smile."

"And that box will do me no harm?"

She scowled. "Would I really harm you? You might see a light in front of your eyes for a few minutes, but it isn't damaging."

He finally gave in and stood while Kagome adjusted both Mattaki and Kaori on either side of him. When she had them suitably in place she stood up, the camera in front of her face. "Say cheese!"

"What is… cheese?"

"Just shut up and smile, Mattaki!"

He laughed and all three smiled, though Sesshoumaru's was only a smirk. The flash was a surprise for them, leaving all three youkai blinking repeatedly. "What was that?" Kaori asked.

Kagome giggled. "You see, when I push the button, a little shutter inside the camera opens and imprints the image of what it sees inside of it. The bright light was to make the colors easier for it to see. Now, this little paper will make an instant portrait!"

Kaori's mouth was an 'oh' and Mattaki grinned. "Like this one, right?" he said, pulling from his haori the one she had given him. She nodded happily, glad he kept it so near, and then her eyes widened in horror. She hissed and pointed at Sesshoumaru who was looking curiously at the image in his father's hands.

"What is that, Father?"

Mattaki realized his mistake and tucked it back away. "That is not important, Sesshoumaru."

He looked at Kagome. "You gave him a portrait? Why can I not see?"

Thinking fast, Kagome pulled Mattaki to her. "Just a minute, Sesshou."

She pulled him around the corner and yanked out her photo album, removing the last picture in it, "Use this, and pretend it is the one he saw."

Mattaki grinned. "Can I keep this one too?"

"Fine, fine, I guess so."

"Why can he not see InuYasha?"

"Because! It's obvious he's your son, and either will know his mother dies earlier than you or, gods forbid, think you cheat on his mom, and he will try and prevent you taking InuYasha's mother! I can't have that, I need InuYasha. Without him, I wouldn't be here," she hissed. Mattaki nodded in understanding.

When they rejoined, Sesshoumaru was scowling. "Well?"

Kagome sighed and waved a hand at Mattaki, who pulled out the small photo from his haori. He handed it to the teen who smirked. "Why wouldn't you want me to see that?"

"Because! Stupid Kagura and her picture taking!"

"We have been in much more compromising positions than that, love."

She blushed hotly. "Stupid, don't say things like that in front of your parents!"

He quirked an eyebrow and smirked in amusement, then looked closer at the picture. "Is that Ah-Un behind us? He's huge! Most beasts of his kind only grow to half that size."

Kagome's eyes widened and she looked more closely at the picture. Sure enough, Ah-Un's two heads could be seen in the background, as could Shippou's head and Rin's feet.

"Yes, and that is Shippou."

"Who's feet are those?"

Kagome grinned. "You'll see. I'm not going to tell you."

He narrowed his eyes at her but shrugged, giving the picture back to his father. "Are we done now?"

"No! I still need two of Mattaki and Kaori together, and two of you and me, and one of the whole group if I can teach a guard to use this."

He sighed. "Fine."

Kaori gasped happily as she picked up the previously undeveloped image. "It is magick! Look, there we are!"

Kagome grinned. "It's actually science, but yes, isn't it great?"

Kagome took the pictures of the Lord and Lady, tucking them away. Then she taught Mattaki, who was just as curious as his son would one day be, how to use it and stood with Sesshoumaru. There was a reason for the duplicates. Finally, a guard was summoned.

"See this little hole?" Kagome said, pointing to it, "Look through it really fast. See? Now, whatever you see in there will be the picture, so you have to make sure the people to be in it are all showing, alright? When you have it how you want it, you push this button here. Easy, right?"

The brunet guard looked dubious but examined the device and nodded. Kagome grinned and clapped her hands. "I haven't met you yet, what's your name?"

He looked genuinely surprised. "I am called Hakkai, my lady."

"Call me Kagome. Nice to meet you! Now, just wait for me to say we're ready then take the picture, alright?"

He nodded again, still staring at the black box like it would attack. Kagome laughed and ran back to her fiancé and his parents, "Alright, gather around me, guys. We only have once try at this, so we have to make it good, kay?

She stood in front of Sesshoumaru, his hands around her waist and Kaori and Mattaki on either side. She wrapped her arms around both of them and yanked them close, "Now you all better look at the camera and smile, or I will teach _my_ meaning of the word 'Sit'! Smile, and now's good, Hakkai!"

The flash was blinding, and all four shut their eyes tightly for a moment. Kagome recovered first and bounded forward, retrieving her possessions and bowing a little, "Thank you, Hakkai! I appreciate your help." He blinked at her and bowed back, walking away dazedly.

Kagome waved the photo through the air, making Sesshoumaru look at her funny. "What is the purpose of that?"

"It makes it work faster!"

"It does not look like it is going faster."

Kagome scowled. "How would you know? I've taken hundreds of these and you've now been in the presence of seven. Shush!"

He smirked and shook his head and waited out her waving of the picture until it finally cleared. The image was slightly crooked and there was too much sky, but Kagome grinned nonetheless. It was perfect. To have it as one of her only physical memories of the group was depressing, but she was glad to have at least that.

Her plan was to take all the pictures with her, and in the Feudal Era give Sesshoumaru one of the images of his parents and one of she and him. That would be her gift to him, a lasting memory. Then she would take the others back to her own time with her and get them professionally blown up into a better size, and when she found him she would give him copies then, as well. His pictures would have disintegrated by modern times, she was sure. A Polaroid would probably only last a hundred or two years, if he was lucky.

More and more she became sure he would be awaiting her in the well house. After all, like Kaori had said when she had first arrived, humans and demons needed one another to survive. And so they would, right? She refused to let her old bleak assessments permeate her, because focusing on the possibility of never seeing him again would only lead to a breakdown.

She showed him the image and he smiled and watched her put the photos into her album before speaking. "Why have you never shown me your portrait book?"

Kagome paused. "I have my reasons. There are a few people in it you cannot see until you meet them. I could show you a few pictures, though, if you wish?"

He did, and so she did. She showed him some of Sango and Miroku, a handprint on his face in almost every picture, one of Shippou covered in chocolate and one of her holding him. There was one he himself would take in the future of her clinging to one of Ah-Un's necks in terror as it rose a dozen feet off the ground. She showed him one of himself, his back to her and looking towards the moon. She explained that he hadn't known she was there, and it was still early in their friendship.

On almost all the pictures she skipped, he saw flashes of red and silver. He asked who they were of, and she looked him in the eye. "InuYasha. He's in too many pictures, so I can't show you."

"Why can't I see InuYasha?"

Her heart quivered, hearing his brother's name from his lips without any disdain, hatred, or preceded by the word 'Die'. She smiled sadly. "I can't tell you why. You will understand in about three hundred years when you meet him, my love, but until then just trust me, alright? He is very important to my future, and I can't risk anything happening to his destiny."

Sesshoumaru nodded slowly, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his lap. She sighed and relaxed against him, and they watched the sun set together in a myriad of swirling colors.


	32. Uneasy

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha nor the hotness of other associated characters. Nor do I own the name and likeness to Yaone. Her personality as I portray it is nothing like her characters', but I was just at a loss for a name, so I once again stole a name from Saiyuki… because I'm lazy. Coincidence on the hair color, actually.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 32 - Uneasy_

* * *

Kagome leaned with her head on the blue silk shoulder of Mattaki on the wall of the palace, looking out over the lake and forests to gaze upon a meteor shower. It was nearly midnight, but Kagome couldn't bring herself to be tired. The skies were too beautiful, her company too soothing. They watched in silence for a long time before he broke it.

"You will be going soon."

It was a statement, rather than a question, and Kagome nodded against him. "Yes, I will be. I wish I didn't have to."

"You will be remembered, and loved ones are never lost, child."

"Midoriko told me the same thing. She misses you both."

She knew he smiled, though her eyes stayed trained on the velvet sky. "We miss her as well. She was a good soul, the first human I ever became fond of. You are the second."

Kagome blushed. "I am fond of you as well, Mattaki."

"I cannot wait to witness all the events you told me of for myself."

"So you will be watching?"

"Of course!"

"I feel better to know that."

Kagome gazed out towards the horizon, seeing the full moon reflected off the lake and a further off shine on what she could only assume were fields of rice patties. The Feudal Era was beautiful, but this land was even more untouched. Mattaki broke the silence.

"You will have an amazing amount of people waiting for you once you pass to the next realm, my mate and I only added onto all the others you have befriended. You have a knack for attracting devotion."

She giggled. "I don't know why I inspire such loyalty in people, I only wish to help."

"And it is that which makes us all want to be near you. You are an amazing soul, Kagome."

Her blush returned and she snuggled closer to him. "Thank you."

"May I ask you a personal question, daughter?"

"Of course."

"Do you love my son?"

She blanched and fidgeted. "Why do you ask?" she hedged.

"Because I am not going to live to see you two together again, and I want to know he'll be happy. He doesn't deserve to be stuck with one of the court's whores, he needs someone like you. It would make this old man happy to know you will be with him."

Kagome blushed crimson and spoke softly. "Yes, I do. So long as he'll have me, I'll spend with him."

Mattaki pulled away from her and cupped her face, looking down into her eyes. "If he inherited one thing from me, it is his heart. So long as you live he will not give up and will love only you. I am glad that he will have you." He bent and kissed her cheek, a sad smile on his lips. "I only wish I could be there to be a grandfather."

"If we have children someday, I will tell them all about you. And so long as you're watching, I'll make sure they know."

"I also wish I could be there when ramen is invented."

Kagome giggled. "So you enjoyed your dinner then? What is it with youkai and ramen? I wish I had more so I could leave you some."

"I am sorry we never got to go to Heian-kyō like you wished to."

"It would have been interesting, but I am content with all I have done.'

He grinned and pulled her to his side again. "You should go in to your chambers soon, it is late."

"Yes, but I want to stay here with you a little longer."

"I would love that."

* * *

Kagome awoke late for breakfast, and both Mattaki and Sesshoumaru had already left for training when she entered the dining hall. She sighed and picked at her breakfast, pushing it back and forth across her plate with her chopsticks. Her dreams had been muddled and frightening, though come morning she could not say why. She simply knew she hoped to never dream that way again.

She began the trek back up to the library and settled herself beside the fire to read. She didn't notice how much time passed, she just read a scroll on mythology. Or was it history? She grinned; her grandfather would be so jealous. Somehow, the stories were much more interesting in these scrolls than out of his mouth. Especially since most of his tales were twisted and misconstrued from the truth.

She was still planning to write her book. She thought that would be the best closure possible. To write out every detail of her times in the past, to make sure it was out there for others to read and know the truth of the past... that would help her to move on from all she lost. Not that anyone reading it would know it to be the truth, but she would know. And that would have to be enough. She couldn't very well say it to be the truth; she would be institutionalized.

She leaned against a shelf and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts before rising to go down for a late lunch. The sun was already tracked across the sky. As she finally decided to open her eyes, it was to a familiar prick in her neck.

She slapped it and pulled away her hand. "Myouga, please ask before taking your meals."

The flea popped back from being flattened and rubbed his chin with one of his hands. "Who are you, my lady? I was in search of the most honorable Inu no Taisho and came across a delicious looking human in his personal library… and you know my name even? I am honored."

"My name is Kagome, Myouga. Mattaki is probably just about done with Sesshou for the day, so why don't we go seek them out?"

"So familiar with my lord and young prince, my lady!"

She giggled. "It's something about this family," she said, standing and sliding out of the ajar shoji screen.

"Is that… _you _are the rumored betrothed to young Lord Sesshoumaru? A human?"

Kagome glanced down where he was peering, the necklace had slipped from her kimono. "Yes, that's me. I have missed you Myouga, it has been a while."

"My lady," the flea said, blinking at her from her shoulder. "I do not believe we have met."

"I have. You just haven't yet," she said with a giggle as she tucked the necklace back away.

"I am confused, Lady Kagome."

She ignored his confusion and grinned. "What do you need with Mattaki? There isn't any danger lurking, is there?"

"Of course not, I was sent to his majesty by his sword smith."

"He told Toutosai to send you over a moon cycle ago, and you just now got the message?"

"Well… ahh… you see, Lady Kagome…"

"You were hiding, weren't you, Myouga?"

"Would you believe me if I said no?"

"Nope."

He sighed loudly. "There was a rather angry panther youkai after me."

They wound their way through the tangle of halls to the courtyard, where both Mattaki and Sesshoumaru would return to. Kagome was confronted by a sight she did not want to see, and growled low in her chest.

It was the blue-haired youkai woman that she had seen Sesshoumaru with, standing near the gates and looking through them, obviously waiting for his return. Myouga gulped. "Lady Kagome, what is wrong?"

"The woman there was involved with Sesshoumaru. Surely she would have heard the announcement that he was promised now, wouldn't she have?"

"I'm sure she has, but that would not stop most. The young lord is highly sought after."

Kagome strode a few feet to the youkai's side, looking out the gates as well. She was noticed immediately and sneered at. "How disgusting for a human to be near me. Shoo, little servant girl."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I am not a servant."

The youkai's aura flared; she was not very powerful even in anger. "You dare to speak to this Yaone that way? Once my Prince Sesshoumaru returns, you will be thrown into the dungeon!"

Kagome chortled, grinning at the girl. "Yours? I had heard he was betrothed."

Myouga stayed silent through the exchange, hoping on all hopes that they would fight and blood would be shed.

The youkai woman scowled. "It was a mistake, I'm sure. He will see me an instantly forget whatever tramp he chose."

"Tramp? That could be construed as disloyalty, to address your future Lady by such a name."

"When Lord Sesshoumaru sets eyes on me again, she will not be the future anything. Now get the hell out of here human, you disgust me."

Kagome grinned. "No, I think I will stay. I wish to see if Sesshoumaru will do as you say. Besides, I am escorting a vassal to Mattaki, who will be arriving with him."

She gasped. "How dare you address my lords so carelessly? Once I inform the prince of your disrespect to my person as well as his and his father's, he will surely have you thrown away, you little whore!"

"Yaone, you should close your mouth before I close it," a familiar voice rang out, and Kagome grinned at Sesshoumaru as he entered. She stayed where she was as the youkai ran to him.

"But my lord, this filthy human is being disrespectful to both our persons! Surely she must be punished!"

He turned to Kagome, Yaone not seeing his smirk to her. "Yes, what punishment shall I find for you," he mused, walking in front of her.

Kagome beamed up to him. "Whatever you find suitable, my lord."

Sesshoumaru grinned wickedly and swept her into his arms, kissing her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss happily, ignoring the sputtering from the woman behind them. They broke apart seconds later to a scream.

"My lord! Surely you jest? Why would you touch such a disgusting…"

"Cease your insults to my mate-to-be, Yaone, or I will be sure my father introduces you to the stocks."

"M-m-mate?"

"Yes, this is your future Lady. Show some respect, or I will personally strip your father of all his worth," a bass called, Mattaki strolling up. Kagome smiled and he flashed a smirk to her, squeezing her hand before turning back to the livid blue-haired woman.

She screamed and stomped her foot indignantly. "You chose a _mortal_ over me? The disrespect!"

"She is worth a hundred of you, little one, now run on home. If you do not vacate, I will not hesitate to go to your father. He is not so valuable that I would regret losing him," Mattaki said threateningly, sending the girl skittering.

Kagome finally broke into laughter. "That was sweet of you, Mattaki. Thank you."

"Anything for you, daughter."

She turned back to Sesshoumaru and smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest, "You too, Sesshou. I'm glad you are not ashamed to be seen with me."

He scoffed. "Cease such foolishness, I would never be. You are my chosen, and they will have to get used to it at some point."

Kagome smiled and leaned up to kiss him again sweetly, his hands cupping her cheeks. Mattaki coughed. "It is time for dinner, you two."

"Food!" Kagome squealed, making the two youkai chuckle as she ran for the doors.

"So then, you've made up your mind, son?"

"I have had it made up since the day I asked her, father."

"Then why the wait?"

"Her. Humans are rather sensitive over courtship and virginity, so I wish to make sure she is ready, and that it is special."

"That is good of you, but don't wait too long. You don't want to have to wait another five hundred years, do you?"

Sesshoumaru paled. "No, I don't."

"Then hurry it up, pup!"

He scowled. "Shut up."

Mattaki grinned and put him in a headlock, "What was that?"

"Yes, Father."

"Good boy," he said, releasing him. "Now come on, I'm starved!"

* * *

After an entertaining dinner in which Myouga was squashed ruthlessly by his master several times, Kagome retired to the gardens. A cold breeze swept over her, and she shivered. Fall was certainly here_. _ She wondered once again on the date, and realized her birthday might have passed already.

The feeling which she had awoken with that morning clung to her tightly, a forgotten dream pulling at the corners of her mind. As much as she loved being here, as much as she loved the castle, she wished for something more familiar. She couldn't even decide what was wrong, but she felt a kind of tugging at her soul.

She remembered literally nothing about the dream other than that foreboding ache in her soul, the one that seemed to be trying to tell her something. But what? Was something coming? Something bad? For being the catalyst she was, she had been pleasantly surprised to run into so few obstacles thus far in her new journey. Was that to change? Was some calamity to come to pass before she was sent away?

_"_What has you so deep in thought?" her love's voice called, making Kagome smile and turn.

"I think I might have missed my own birthday. Sesshou, do you think we could go somewhere?"

"Where?" he asked, walking to her and putting his hands on her hips and began kissing across her cheekbones lightly.

"I wish to go to the place your father found me. It was an hour or two from here by flight, but I know by experience its two days walking. A bit northeast of here. Would you take me?"

"Why would you want to go there?" he asked, nipping at her jaw and making her shiver for reasons that had nothing to do with the weather and have to consciously focus on the complexities of speech.

"Please? If I cannot be home, I wish to be the nearest possible. There is where I will live in a thousand years, and there is where we all basically lived out of during our quest. I need to see Goshinboku."

He paused, his nose against her temple and sighed. "When do you wish to go?"

"As soon as you will take me. I feel uneasy…"

"Then we will go at morning's light, my love."

"Thank you."

"To bed?"

"Yes, will you stay with me?"

"You shouldn't tease. Should I just change rooms?"

Kagome grinned, "Perhaps…"

"Do not tease, miko," he growled, a pleasant chill running down his spine.

She only laughed and hiked up her kimono, running back into the palace.


	33. Ugly

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 33 - Ugly_

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Sesshoumaru had lived nearly two centuries. Over eighteen decades. He had seen, heard, and done nearly all there was to. In all that time, though, he had never been as bored as he was in this moment. He watched his betrothed huffing along in front of him on the deer trail, his face in an obvious expression of tedium. He really hadn't meant it the way it had sounded… but she had taken it that way. He sighed heavily for the fiftieth time in as many minutes as he followed along behind her.

They had been traveling quickly, with her on his back, for the whole morning, cutting a large amount of their journey out. She had insisted they stop for lunch, and while they were stopped he had made a _completely_ innocent comment concerning her age in comparison to his own in human terms…he had not been calling her too old! He was simply pointing out that a twenty year old woman with a youkai with the mentality of a fifteen year old was a bit funny, coinciding with the fact that his actual age was nearly two hundred to her twenty. That was all! But of course, she had taken it wrong.

Now here they were, nearly two hours later and she was still refusing to speak to him or ride on his back. It would make the trip go that much faster, and they could reach their destination by nightfall, but that didn't seem to curb her snubbing of him. Another loud sigh, trying to make her pay attention to him.

Kagome stubbornly refused to allow him to make her feel badly. No! She would not! He dared to make fun of her like that? Sure, the age difference in this era wasn't such a big deal, but that usually was a man of her age and a girl of his.

The real reason for her sulk was what it made her think. Was he regretting their relationship? Now? After this last month she had been sure he had made up his mind in the affirmative…but he still hadn't brought up the whole... mating thing that honestly scared her a bit. But she wanted it. Did he not want her? Was he just using her as his plaything? She shook such thoughts from her head and tried to ignore the whine that wanted to build in her throat. He sighed again behind her; jeez, that was annoying!

A crash to their right brought them both from their reveries, snapping their heads in the direction of the sound. It was coming closer, and fast. Sesshoumaru shoved her behind his back and with a scowl Kagome allowed herself to be; it was rather comical for her to think that she actually had more real battle experience than her companion. Sure, he had been in training for several decades, but actually out fighting? Too risky for the Heir until he was totally competent.

Soundlessly, as the youkai approached, Kagome unsheathed her dagger as a precaution. Sesshoumaru didn't even have a weapon, but he didn't need one usually. Most opposition would be nothing more than measly lower youkai with less than half a brain. Unfortunately for both of them, this one didn't feel like a weakling.

It's aura was sickening, and Kagome's head was spinning. Her miko senses were screaming at her to purify this vile thing, and she hadn't even seen it yet. She eased to Sesshoumaru's right, still slightly behind him and dropped into a defensive stance. She trusted Sesshoumaru, but she also knew how easy it was for something to get through defenses. She drew and internal parallel between this Sesshoumaru and his future brother. Rash, impulsive, and well meaning, but dangerous to those requiring protection.

Finally she saw trees in the distance moving with every crash. Their opponent was near. When it finally appeared, Kagome really did feel like she might retch. Its appearance combined with the waves of dark energy rolling off of it was enough to practically send her to her knees. Its face was grotesquely elongated, like it had been stretched. It was nearly eight feet tall and half that wide, its bulk in gelatinous globs sporadically placed over its frame.

Orange eyes peered out of sickly yellow skin, his gaze only centered on her. She squelched the urge to turn and run from the hideous beast and allowed her power to gather in the blade of her dagger. She loved that Toutosai had been able to forge a demon weapon with the ability to hold her own energy.

The skin of the monster's face hung off dangerously, as if frozen in mid-melt and hardly attached, and flapped as it spoke. "What do you have, girl? That thing gives off tremendous power!"

Kagome froze and her eyes widened. How could he sense the Shikon Jewel? Sure enough, now that she consciously thought about it, she could once again sense it at her neck in a way she hadn't in months. Its power was out of dormancy. She gulped. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" she said.

"Foolish human, you lie terribly. Give it to me and I might let you live!" he cried, leaping forward.

Sesshoumaru bolted into action, his newfound whip cracking against the ogre's sagging cheek. It screamed and changed opponents, apparently feeling she could be dealt with after. At the moment, she was too in shock to move, though, so he was right. She pulled the jewel to her face and stared into its once again glowing depths. Since when had it reactivated? What had caused it? Was it because she would be leaving soon?

A scream pulled her thoughts away to the fight, and her jaw clenched. There was a girl now somehow caught in the mix. Where had she come from? She was shrieking like a banshee at the two battling demons, obviously believing she would die no matter which survived. Kagome broke the spell the shock had put her under and ran to the young woman, pulling her out of Sesshoumaru's way as he attacked.

"A-Are you a youkai?" the girl stuttered out, obviously scared to death.

"No, I am a human priestess. You need to stop screaming, though. My friend there is inuyoukai, and their ears are very sensitive. You might make the fight harder on him."

The girls warm brown eyes were half the size of her face. "You travel with one of those- those things?"

Kagome swallowed her temper. "The one in white is my fiancé, actually. He is currently going to kill that yucky… whatever it is so we can all be on our way without worrying about it."

The woman's look was horrified. "Lady Miko, have you been sold to the youkai? Is that why you would think to marry one? You are so brave, I think perhaps I would have rather died-"

She cut her off. "No, I was not sold to him. I am to be his mate willingly. Now, I need to help him because he's not doing very well," she said flatly, trying to cover her annoyance with the girl.

Kagome pulled out her dagger and made to approach the disfigured youkai from behind to give him a good burst of her purity, but stopped when he spun to her. "Give me that power you have! That little bead is too good for a wench like you!"

Now her - figurative of course - fur was ruffled. She narrowed her eyes. "I really hate being called wench."

"How about bitch then? You are with a dog, after all."

Kagome growled and lunged at the youkai, trying to strike out with her blade. Sesshoumaru yelled at her to stop but she dove anyway, missing the flesh entirely. What she hadn't been expecting was for lilac crescents of her energy to lash out, digging into its shoulder and neck in several places. Kagome landed on the ground in a heap but didn't notice, too busy staring at the blade. Way to go Toutosai!

Suddenly, awareness of her meeting with the ground came back as a surge of pain shot through her newly sprained ankle. Damn. She groaned and untangled her limbs just in time to swipe at the demon as it pounced her, the enchanted blade biting deep into its neck. Kagome struggled to stand and looked around frantically for Sesshoumaru. He had apparently been blown back and collided with a tree hard, he was struggling to stand.

"Sesshou! Are you alright?" she screamed as the beast ran back at him to get him while he was down.

His answer was drowned by a deafening roar, as a fiery streak leapt onto the demon's back. Kagome's eyes widened in glee. "Kirara!"

The fire cat turned at her name being called and nodded once, turning back for another assault against the yellow abomination. Kagome grinned and poised her dagger again. She couldn't really move to fight, but if he came near her she could do something. The demon flung the neko off his back and sent her careening into a tree.

When she had recovered, Kagome shouted, "Kirara, can you carry me above him?" The beast didn't look agile, so she had little doubt that the mononoke could keep her out of his reach so she could attack. Sesshoumaru was still recovering his bearings.

In lieu of any limited response, Kirara ran to her and she jumped onto her back; there had been many battles in which she would use Kirara to keep her out of harm's way while she rained her holy arrows down on their opponents. She leapt into the sky and hovered there, the demon screaming his rage at being unable to reach her. He turned and made to go after the still-dazed Sesshoumaru again and Kagome cried out, creating something like a bow from her holy energy and an arrow to go with it.

"I don't think so, ugly!" she yelled, firing the shot down into the massive head. The youkai couldn't even scream as it turned to dust only a foot away from Sesshoumaru. She sighed in relief and ran her fingers across Kirara's head, "Good girl. You don't even know me yet and you helped! You're too intelligent for your own good, I think."

They had landed and the cat changed back into her kitten form with a mew of agreement before leaping up onto Kagome's shoulder. She ran to the young prince who was currently scowling. "I could have killed him."

"And yet you didn't and I did. Stop complaining. I think we could use a little rest, it's already almost dusk. Let's stay here for the night? The fight created plenty of fire wood."

Sesshoumaru sighed but nodded, glad at least that she was speaking to him again. He began to grab up suitable wood chunks while Kagome hobbled back to the shaking human girl some twenty feet away.

"Hey, it's alright now. Where are you heading to be out alone?"

The girl blushed and shook her head. "I… ran from my master. I am going north, to find my husband; I was taken from him a month ago."

Kagome smiled sadly. "How far north? It's dangerous to journey far alone."

"About a week, I believe. But I will manage, anything to be away from him!"

"What did he do?"

The girl merely shook her head, signaling she would rather not say, Kagome understood and patted her shoulder. "Why not stay with us for the night and travel north with us tomorrow? We are only going another day's journey, but it will give you that much more protection…"

The young girl gulped. "With… with a youkai?"

"He will not harm you. Just stay with us for dinner, and if you are still unsure you can leave."

She seemed to think on this then nodded, smiling. "Thank you Lady Miko."

"Call me Kagome! What's your name?"

"I am called Yumi," she said, smiling.

"Well, Miss Yumi, let's eat something!"

By now Sesshoumaru had started the fire and was sitting against a tree looking off into the darkness. After a meager meal they all relaxed as much as they could, and Kirara sat in Kagome's lap purring.

"Where did you find the firecat?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This is Kirara. She… umm… remember I told you about Sango-chan?" she said, glancing from the corner of her eye at the other woman. She couldn't just come out and say she was from the future in front of a stranger.

"The demon slayer?"

"Yes. Kirara was a companion of hers."

Said neko tilted her head up inquiringly at Kagome and she stroked her fur with a whispered. "You'll understand someday, my friend. Just remember to take care of Sango when you find her, okay?"

"Mew," was the only reply, but years of her company let Kagome know it was an affirmative response.

Meanwhile Yumi's eyes had gone wide as she stared at Kagome. "You know a demon exterminator?"

"Yes… I did. She passed," she lied.

"Oh, I'm very sorry."

"Thank you. Why did that interest you so?"

The woman blinked and fidgeted and immediately it dawned on Kagome, "You are going to the Exterminator's village, aren't you? I don't know why I didn't think of that…"

Yumi nodded and smiled softly, her eyes taking a far-off glassiness, "My love is there… we were to go together when the bandits took me from him."

Kagome nodded and scooted over to Sesshoumaru, laying down with her head on his leg. She yawned and smiled up at him. "Hello, Pillow!"

"I am not a pillow."

"Yes, you are. Comfortable too. Come on, please? It's either this or I use a rock. Could you really live with yourself knowing you banished your affianced to sleep on a rock?"

He scowled, but his eyes were soft. "Hn. But, I ask for something in return."

"Eh?"

"You must never not speak to me again while we are traveling. You left me without entertainment for far too long. I fear I am used to your prattling by now."

"Oh yeah! I was mad at you! Hey!"

"Kagome…"

"Yes, I know. I will no longer not speak to you when I've drug you out of the palace."

"Hn."

"Goodnight, Sesshou," she turned her head. "Goodnight Yumi!"

With that she pulled the blanket more firmly around her and promptly drifted away. Sesshoumaru listened to her breathing even out and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, smiling softly. Truth be told, he really didn't mind being her pillow at all. It was slightly derogatory, but he did more humiliating things for her one a daily basis.

The firecat she had found was curled against her, making him scowl. Cats and dogs were not the easiest allies. So long as this one kept away from him he thought it would be alright, though. His eyes left the two of them and trailed over to the fire, ensuring that the flames were still high enough to keep the humans warm. It was a chilly night.

Speaking of humans, there was the human woman that Kagome had allowed to stay, and she was staring straight at him. Her fear had hardly abated, but it seemed curiosity was warring with that trepidation. He rose an eyebrow at the girl, making her fumble and look away.

"You should be sleeping. We start out at dawn."

She still looked uncomfortable. Probably at the idea of sleeping in such close proximity to a youkai. He rolled his eyes internally and put a clawed hand in Kagome's hair, relaxing himself by playing with the strands. Kagome was making him soft.

"I…umm…uhh…"

"Spit it out, wench," he said harshly, losing patience with the girl.

"Why are you with a human?" she said quickly, cringing.

Sesshoumaru brow rose. "I think that is not your business."

"No, I guess not. I just… that moon… you are the Prince of these lands, are you not?"

"Yes, I am the son of the Inu no Taisho."

The girl gulped and kept her eyes on the fire, obviously frightened. Though why she would be was anyone's guess, considering he currently had a mortal obstacle laying in his lap, so he couldn't very well harm her. Kagome wouldn't like that much.

She bit her lip. "I thought youkai hated humans."

He shrugged, "Most do. Even in my family, though we do not hate them, we see them as beneath us. You all live only for a moment in comparison to us. We have superior senses and abilities. In my family it is not hate, but just indifference. You are not worth noticing."

"Then why are you to wed her?"

"I am to _mate _her because she is different. I do not care if she is temporary and short lived, my life would be empty without her."

The woman unfolded the blanket Kagome had given her and snuggled up at the fire's edge, seeming to have dropped the subject. Sesshoumaru was thankful. He couldn't very well kill her for her nerve, because then he would have a raging human of his own in the morning. But this mortal was beginning to border on impudent.

She was drifting off now, and Sesshoumaru inwardly sighed in relief. But of course, she couldn't just go quietly, and had one last thing to say. "It's funny… I didn't think youkai could love," she murmured.

Sesshoumaru growled at the now asleep girl. The audacity! He sighed with a scowl at the fire. Of course demons could love! What, did she think only humans were privy to emotion? Foolish woman. Then again, he supposed this was what Kagome had been talking about when she said that both humans and youkai were to blame for the hatred between them. Both held their stereotypes and petty reasons for the hate, and neither stopped to think for a moment that the other might be worth anything.

Kagome stirred and pushed closer to the source of warmth that was her 'pillow'. He pulled her shivering form into his lap, resettling her against his chest and wrapping the blanket around her, where her shivering promptly stopped. The firecat leapt into her lap, making her very close to him. He almost growled, but didn't want to wake the now smiling Kagome. She snuggled against him with a contented sigh and her entire body relaxed into him.

This made Sesshoumaru happy, to know she was satisfied just to be near him. He looked down at her sleeping face and bit back his own pleased sigh. He should rest lightly as well, they still had a ways to go come morning.


	34. Musings

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

Large chunk of this chapter will be vocal introspection and Kagome's rantings about the jewel. Important chapter though, people! Can't promise it's _interesting_… but hey. I can't be good all the time, ne?

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 34 - Musing_

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Kagome stood blinking back tears in the early afternoon sunshine, her eyes deceivingly bright. She stepped up to the somehow newer wood of the Bone Eater's Well and passed a hand inches above its surface. "My journey began here, you know," she said with a wan smile. "A little more than one thousand years from now, my cat had wandered into the structure that encloses this well, and Mistress Centipede rose from its depths and pulled me five hundred years back in time because the jewel was within my body."

Yumi and Kirara had kept on to the Exterminator's village, with a loving whisper to the feline before she went and an extracted promise to watch over Sango when she came about and to help keep watch over her original mistress's soul, since the village would keep the jewel for many more years to come. Now Sesshoumaru and Kagome stood alone in the well's clearing, Kagome's eyes lighted with unshed tears.

"I ran from her when I got to this side," she said, walking through the path she knew so well in silence, her companion following in his usual graceful manner behind. When she reached Goshinboku she stepped up on the gnarled roots and ran her fingers over the yet unmarred bark. "And I saw a puppy-eared boy pinned to this tree. In my time, youkai were thought to be only myth, so I thought I was dreaming…"

She trailed off, and when she continued her voice was choked. "We went through so much together. After the first few weeks when he was trying to kill me, we became so close. He was my protector, my hope. We gathered our strange band of allies, bonded by the evil that had affected us all, and my own duty to restore that which I started.

"This stupid thing," she said softly, gripping the Shikon Jewel and speaking more to herself than anything, "caused so much pain and heartache. When I shattered it, I became the reason for every human and youkai killed for possession of just a tiny piece. All for some trinket of false power. So many died to try and get it, or to try and keep it from the hands of the evil that wanted it.

"Lives ruined, love destroyed, families broken… and now it will all end. Though my wish was not the pure and selfless wish needed to win Midoriko's fight, the sacrifices I am going to make will give her the power she needs to defeat the monsters she was sealed with. But what was the cost? All the pain and hurt that revolved around this stupid thing!

"Naraku forced the betrayal between Kikyou and InuYasha into death and near-death to attain the wretched little bead, he cursed Miroku's grandfather and his male descendants to imminent death by their own palms, he forced an innocent little boy to slaughter most of his family then serve him as a zombie, _then_ pit him against his sister in battle to eventually be killed in a need for the shard he possessed. He wrecked lives, he stomped hearts and dreams and hopes! He was slowly killing everyone around me and I could do nothing to stop it!

"All for what? Power? Acknowledgment? No. That isn't even how it started. Lust. He wanted Kikyou and couldn't have her, the burnt and mangled piece of shit he was, so instead of dying like a normal human he offered himself to demons. Just for revenge against a woman who he never had any claim to. So, he destroyed her life, InuYasha's life, my life by extension of both of them, and after getting a lust for that, he continued on ruining everything for everyone he could.

"Because of him I lost all my friends in my own time, not that they meant much to me after a year or so. He strained my relationships with my family, almost killed me countless times, succeeded in killing me once, tried to take over my mind, destroyed my self-confidence, and tried to rip away the only people who meant anything to me!

"But then, this all comes back to being my own fault. If I hadn't been so stupid, if I hadn't shattered the jewel… Shippou wouldn't have lost his father, Kohaku never would have been resurrected to torment Sango's already battered heart, villagers would have lived, youkai wouldn't have gone mad. It was all my own fault, I suppose. All of the problems I faced on my journeys… it was my doing. The pain, the hurt… I did it."

A soft caress across her jaw broke her from her ranting and she turned into the sympathetic eyes of her love. His eyes were so open to her, even more than they had been when she had first arrived. The gruffness she had compared to InuYasha's was gone, and his emotions shone through trusting that she would never use them against him. She reveled in that normally, but now she wanted to scream at him not to pity her, not to look at her with those eyes. He spoke in hardly above a whisper. "And if you hadn't shattered it?"

Kagome stopped and tilted her head. She really hadn't thought of that. "Well, I guess then that Naraku would have taken the whole jewel from me in the first place and made his wish to be unconquerable as High Ruler, or whatever in the hell he planned to do with it."

"Would that have led to more or less destruction?"

"More, much more."

"Then it seems it was by will of the gods themselves. They did not wish this Naraku to gain control of its power, and they needed to buy you and your friends time to be able to go against him."

The tears she had held back fell now and she stepped down off the roots, leaning her forehead into his chest. "But then, am I changing things now? We were not meant to love, and yet I could not stop myself from falling for you. Have I threatened even more lives for my own selfishness?"

"Don't you say that," he said roughly, pulling her back to meet his gaze. "This Sesshoumaru will not allow it. You may have changed things, but everything will still be right, I promise you. What are a couple extra years of waiting?"

"But what if things changed? There is something in my time, called the Chaos Theory. Basically it means if I swat a fly now, I could make myself not exist!"

"Why would an insect damage your lineage?"

"That's not the point, Sesshou! It means even the smallest most harmless change can rip things apart irrevocably!"

"I cannot comfort you about that, because I do not know. You have seen these futures, not I. But what is it you are truly worried about, Kagome?"

She sighed and pulled gently out of his embrace, walking back to Goshinboku. "InuYasha."

"Why?"

She flopped down gawkily on the roots and sighed. "His path crosses your own far too much before either of you meet me in that time. I am afraid… I am afraid you would harm him knowing that he will be your enemy one day. And I am afraid you'll take me from him too early, before I have fixed him, before our friendship is secure. I am afraid you will make me frightened of you instead of just indignant. I am afraid of… oh gods, I'm being selfish again."

"Continue, please," he said softly, dropping to his knees before the silently crying girl.

"I am afraid of losing all I had with InuYasha," she said softly. His breath hitched and she looked up to see the twinge of pain in his eyes. "No, you don't understand! All I went through with him… he made me what I am. He made me strong, he made me weak. He built me up just to send me crashing back down again. One moment I felt like I was flying, and the next I was drowning so deeply I couldn't see the light of the surface. It was him that showed me what love was, in his own way.

"True, most of the time he made me feel like absolute crap, but he gave me the wings I needed to take off. It was because of my need to prove myself to him that I honed my abilities, it was my hopes of gaining him that kept me coming back heartbreak after heartbreak. It was constantly being in Kikyou's shadow that finally made me rise above it all and be myself, show myself, and be stronger than she ever hoped to be.

"InuYasha was a lot of things to me… he was my first love, my first kiss, my first heartbreak, my first real loss… from the moment I met him to his death, he molded me from the babbling little girl I was at first to the still-babbling woman I am now. I am stronger for knowing him, for experiencing life with him. For putting my heart in his claws I am now who I am.

"In the first year, I changed the way I dressed. In the second, I developed my powers. In the third, I amended my speech. By the fourth I had somehow grown up without even realizing it. And it all started with InuYasha. He was the centerpiece in my life.

"Don't you see? A wise youkai once told me that it is the past which makes us, and I would be a fool to let go of my experiences. You were right when you said that. I would not be me without it all, I would not be so strong. I would not be able to truly appreciate all I have without having suffered so hard in the process of getting to this point."

Sesshoumaru pursed his lips in thought. "So, you are afraid I would kill InuYasha before you meet him? I would not be so foolish, knowing he plays a part in your future. You said that without him you would not be here, right?"

"Yes," she said softly.

"Then take me not for a fool. I am not so vicious and vengeful that I would allow any degree of hatred to blind me. I know you need him, so therefore I wouldn't do something so unwise."

"But… I… damnit, Sesshou!" she said, wrenching her eyes closed. "But every little thing could change things. If not for your attempts on his life, even, things would not be the same. He would never gain an item very important to our journey if not for you seeking it yourself! I can't lay out every encounter you've ever had with him just so you can duplicate them! Not to mention that you very much tried to kill me! Even just the absence of that could change it all."

"I would never attempt to kill my mate."

"That is my point! There's one thing at least that will surely change. I could be damning the future to some terrible demise all because I love you!"

He gripped her head forcefully in his hands and rose her gaze to meet his. "Do you regret your feelings for me, then?"

"No. I cannot."

"Then stop this foolishness. You cannot change which has already happened, and you cannot stop love. I know this, because honestly, it would be much easier for me not to love you as I do." Kagome's eyes went wide and tears spilled over the edges unchecked. He continued softly, still looking into her eyes. "But I would not trade that which I feel for you for anything. I would gladly give up anything you asked me to just to keep you here with me, to never have to lose you. But even though I know I must lose you, I would still have it no other way. I would rather live a thousand years in waiting for you than to live a million lifetimes that did not include you."

Her sob was choked as she flung herself into his arms and broke, her tears hot against his neck where she burrowed against him. Her voice was choked and muffled against him. "I just can't stand this! Am I just a pawn to the gods? Just some cheap sacrifice for their plans?"

"How could you be? Every living being tries its best under the circumstances it is dealt. Every life forms a link in the chain that eventually creates the future. With even a single missing link, that future will crumble and fall. Therefore, there is no useless life or pawn, we are all important in some way. If you did nothing in this time, would you be contented to just sit there and know your future was certainly doomed because of it?"

"No…"

"Then stop this foolishness about regrets about that which has already happened. You can no more change it than I could. Whatever will be, will be, and fate will take its course."

"You believe, then, that fate is linear?"

"Yes, I do. The gods lead us to whatever path they have chosen for us."

"Bullshit!" she suddenly exclaimed, extracting herself from his arms. She blazed down at her youkai, silent flames curling upon themselves in the cool recesses of her eyes.

Sesshoumaru was confused to her reaction, and his face showed it. "But it is true. The Gods have a path for us all, and without that path all would fall to ruin."

"I know that is the belief of this time period, but it's crap! Absolute crap! That is saying, mincing no words, that none of us have any control over our future. That is saying that any love we feel, any happiness, any _anything _is just predestined. What good is finding contentment and love if it was supposedly 'meant to be'? I want to know that I've earned my happiness!"

"Does that lessen the happiness to know it was destined?"

"Yes! To believe it was fate that make everything in my life happen… I can't accept that. I won't. I believe in luck and chance, no matter what they bring to me. I believe in the divine will of the gods, of course I do, but I think we simply have a purpose in life, not that every single move we make was laid out for us like some story!"

Sesshoumaru was silent, not wishing to anger her more. He contemplated her words but it was not an easy idea to accept. It was a frightening thought to believe things to be so unsure. Why would she relish in such an idea?

She crumpled once more, no longer seeming to have the energy to weep as her head fell limp in front of her. She looked despondent, morose. Sesshoumaru approached her again and cupped her face in his hands, staring deeply into her eyes. "None of these philosophies matter, Kagome. We are here, is that not enough?"

Her eyes slowly rose to his, and though dry-eyed he had the distinct impression that she was still sobbing in silence. She nodded and allowed herself to be gathered against his chest. She sighed and rubbed her cheek against the silk there, letting the scent and feel of her love relax her worries away - for now.

It was then, in the briefest moment of contentment, that the jewel began to glow.


	35. Betrayal

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha, or the lyrics I chose.

I am handling Sesshoumaru 'talking' about the past's events by just writing them out as scenes…but he's just telling her about what happened. Yep, when the need arises, even Sesshou can talk. ;) But almost this entire chapter is him telling her everything, from the point he tells her he will on is all just scene recollections and catchup.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 35 - Betrayal_

* * *

"No, Sesshoumaru!" she cried, her brain registering exactly what was about to happen. She sobbed and clung to his chest as hard as she could.

"I will await you, my love. Worry not," he said softly, his heart breaking slowly. It had been expected, known, but yet the reality of her departure was tearing him apart. He could not let her see this though, and kissed her hard as the glow surrounded her more strongly, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.

"No! I don't want to go!"

"You must."

"I love you, Sesshou! Please, don't forget me!"

"I could never," he said softly, kissing her tenderly as her form became less corporeal in the dusk's light. "My love will remain until I see you again."

He saw her lips move but he could no longer hear her as she became more ghostly yet, the blinding white light blocking out all other thoughts but to look into her eyes for the last time. His resolve snapped as a tear slid down his face, the first in a century, and he lunged at her, trying anything to anchor her back to him. As he passed through her she disappeared, leaving him collapsed on the roots of the Goshinboku - alone.

* * *

Sesshoumaru sat impassively on a branch in the forest that had been given his brother's name, staring into the stars as he had every night for a moon cycle. Damned if he couldn't remember how many months she had stayed with him! So, to be sure, he had arrived every day before dusk to sit in this forest and wait. And hope.

He feared that she would not be returning. What if she had misinterpreted Midoriko's words and would, in fact, be transported directly to her own time? Could he stand several hundred more years without at least looking upon her once more? Yes. He knew without a doubt he could.

So lost in his thoughts was Sesshoumaru that he almost missed the spike of power coming from the south. Almost, but he did not. His hopes collided upon themselves and he dashed through the foliage, catching the faintest scent of her on the breeze. The clean stormy scent that embodied everything about her… her eternal innocence, her life, her joy. When he saw her, his heart caught in her throat.

She was sprawled across Goshinboku's roots, her entire body heaving with her sobs. He approached hesitantly and for the first time in several centuries, Sesshoumaru was afraid. She stiffened suddenly and the howls from her throat ceased, her head raising just slightly. He could hear her heart pounding and wondered at the look on her face. Currently all her features were disguised by her hair that draped around her head in slightly tangled waves.

"My love…" he murmured without realizing it, making her turn to meet his gaze. As she did, he saw all the grief melt away immediately to be replaced with a joy that made his heart sing. At once, she scrambled to her feet to launch herself into his arms. He stiffened slightly before her scent filled him and he wrapped his arm around her. He didn't think his armor was comfortable for her to lay on, but she didn't complain.

"Sesshou! You waited, oh gods you waited!" she sobbed, her face raising to look at him as she stood upon her toes to touch his face. He allowed a small smile to her, just a quirk of his lips, but his eyes shone brightly in the fading light.

"Yes," he said softly, his own hand raising hesitantly to run his fingers across her cheeks and jaw line. Things were not so simple now that she had been there… well, then rather. He was afraid at how she would react.

"What have I changed? I didn't get any new memories, and gods you are still missing your arm! What is this, what's going on, Sesshoumaru?" she exclaimed quickly, not bothering to breathe while speaking.

"Nothing, Kagome. Things are, and always have been, as they should be."

She stiffened in his grasp and took a halting step back, looking up into his eyes disbelievingly. "Excuse me? But… you tried to kill me!"

"Yes."

She shook her head and extracted herself from him fiercely, her eyes shimmering with her tears. "Explain this, Sesshou! I don't understand!"

"It… is complicated," he said, breaking their gaze as he looked at some point over her shoulder.

"No! Don't give me that crap, Sesshoumaru! Tell me now! I need to know!"

He sighed inwardly and stole a glance at the miko… _his _miko. He held out an barely shaking, clawed hand to her. "I wish to take you somewhere. I will explain it all as we fly," he said quietly.

Kagome looked torn, her eyes frantic as they darted about. Finally, slowly she held her hand out to him again and let him grasp it and pull her to his side, where he immediately formed his youki into his cloud and left the ground.

* * *

Sesshoumaru sat at his place on the roots of the Goshinboku for hours, just trying his best to come to grips with the fact that she was gone. His betrothed, the woman he loved, was gone in some vague future. What now? When he finally allowed himself to come out of his daze he simply began walking back, back to the home he knew he could find solace. After the first few steps though, he broke, and his steady pace became a full-out run.

He ran faster and farther than he ever had, tapping into the power that had lain mostly dormant within him. He sprinted, not heeding where his legs took him, his feet hardly touching upon the ground as he flew across the ground. He tried his best to ignore anything beyond his present mindset, the only thought his brain would shine through was the command to run.

And so he ran, escaping his grief as best he could, ignoring all notions of vibrant blue eyes and welcoming smiles. He ran on and on, through the night and into the morning, finally collapsing as afternoon began. He didn't sleep but simply couldn't move; not that it mattered, because he could feel the comforting rush of water to his right, at the back of his head. He had made it to his waterfall.

* * *

"Sesshoumaru, this isn't healthy," his mother pleaded quietly.

For months he did not leave the small clearing. Every night he watched as the moon rose and set in a different size than it had been the night before, and every morning as the sun began to lighten the sky he would sleep. It was as if he couldn't bear to watch the sunrise. The cheerful sun was the bane of his very existence in those endless weeks, and its rising seemed to mock everything about the world.

His mother often came to him, as she was the only other who the barrier would allow passage, and would try to talk him into returning home. She had deduced what had happened after finding him there, his eyes unresponsive and dark. The atmosphere was subdued throughout the House of the Moon in loss of their future Lady and the heir's unwillingness to return.

It had been over three moon cycles before he finally responded.

"Sessy, my sweet, she is not dead. You will have her back again someday, and all will be right! You mourn as if you have lost a piece of yourself!"

"But I have, mother," he said quietly, his voice hoarse from disuse.

"But that which is lost can be found, it is not forever vanished. You must continue in your life. Do you think Kagome would have wanted you to feel this way?"

Slowly, his golden eyes locked with her lavender ones and she saw the barest of nods. "You are right, Mother. She would want me to be happy while waiting."

"Then what are you waiting for?" she said, a sparkle in her eye and she stood and held out her hand to her son.

* * *

Two centuries passed with little incident, the first ten years being the hardest of his entire life. Sesshoumaru trained his mind and body and was very happy with the results he was achieving. His relationship with his father was still strained, but they had some common ground when one would toss out a comment about the little miko which had so captured everyone's heart.

Sesshoumaru himself was changing. His smiles and laughter were less numerous, though he still did not hesitate to show them. There were simply less things that made him happy enough to. Kagome was still at the back of his mind, even as he forced himself to bed the mindless wenches of the court in her stead. It was not terribly often that he required his release, but all unmated males were party to their instinct and bodily needs.

Unmated. That was Sesshoumaru's biggest and likely only regret. He had wanted so much to be good to her that he had forestalled the culmination of their relationship. He still had to fend off the petty bitches who tried to force themselves not only into his bed but into a more permanent position in his life. He had been forced to kill Yaone within a year of Kagome's departure, since she once again had seen him as fair play. Her tricks and cruel words directed towards his 'absent' beloved had been too much.

In the last several decades a war had been raging between youkai and humans. Rather than fight on the battlefield though, humanity was showing its true colors and stooping to subterfuge and sneaking tactics to destroy many greater youkai. Packs of them, bandits, would raid youkai villages and slaughter its inhabitants. Most were wiped out, but many youkai also fell victim to the brazen trickery. And no matter how many humans were killed, more seemed to come from nowhere to take their place.

Futaridori had been leveled in a fire, destroying the largest populace of inuyoukai in Nippon. Sesshoumaru's family had not been pleased at this. His aunt had been killed in this attack, along with several other more distant family members. A simmering hatred had formed in his heart towards the humans who dared such honorless tactics. It was disgusting. His Kagome was obviously an oddity to her race.

His mother was his only comfort in the long years. Her familiar scent and warm eyes kept him sane, and her words were always quick to remind him of the impending return of her fondly remembered Kagome. It was approaching the half-way point in his wait, two hundred and fifty years, when all hell broke loose.

Mattaki was at a conference in the southern territories, as were his generals and a large portion of his army. Civil unrest was blooming in the Southern Lands with a tribe of panthers who sought to overthrow Gyakusetsu, and his soldiers were needed as a precaution as way to show the felines that the Southern lord had powerful friends.

Sesshoumaru sat in the middle of the empty dojo in deep meditation; it was a habit by now to spend at least an hour each day pushing back his emotions so that he could be more effective when in battle. He had gone with his father to several now since his training had advanced, and he was becoming rather proud of himself.

It was during that time that a familiar tingling awoke the edges of his senses. He frowned and tried to ignore it. Distraction was something he had been dealing fairly well at, and he was becoming increasingly frustrated that he could not contain the need to investigate the annoying tingle. He finally gave up and shook himself slowly from his meditation.

'_This is…'_ he thought, tensing immediately. There was a cloaked aura very close by. He could not decipher whom it was, but he knew that no one who was supposed to be within the House of the Moon would be hiding their presence.

Stalking silently from the dojo he ducked between the shadows in search of the hidden threat. He had to reach his mother since her abilities were much more suited to tracking prey. Abandoning his efforts he sprinted for the westernmost area of its structure.

"Mother!" he called, sprinting down the halls with as much speed as he could muster after a long day of training. Her head popped out of her own study.

"What is it, Sesshoumaru?" she said worriedly, seeing the expression on her practically grown son's face.

Without answering, he simply grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him, quickly navigating the labyrinth of hallways to exit into the courtyard. With hand signals he expressed what was happening and she closed her eyes, feeling outward with her highly developed mental senses.

In many days to come, Sesshoumaru would curse his own inattentiveness. For years it would haunt him, plague his every moment whether awake or dreaming. All his senses were attuned to her, his beautiful mother, the woman who had given him everything in his life. The only warning was her eyes snapping open and going wide at her son, and a scream he was sure she begun before a blinding pain sent him to the ground.

Kaori was assassinated that night, a clean and seemingly instantaneous death with her head severed. Sesshoumaru, as well, was wounded badly; besides the concussion received from the blow to the head he was slashed across the throat. Something must have spooked the killer as he did the job though, because he left without assuring the young Prince's death.

It was only a week before he was healed physically, but the scars upon his heart would last for the rest of his life.

* * *

The growl that tore from Sesshoumaru's throat was feral, ground-shaking. He stormed through the palace with completely blood red eyes, servants and nobles alike shrinking as far away from the deadly young lord as they could.

In the past decades, Sesshoumaru had been true to his name. He slaughtered without mercy, without thought, and would happily lick the blood from his claws. Entire villages leveled, servants who did not bow low enough or quickly enough disemboweled on sight. The only smile spotted on his icy face was a wild, sadistic one that came from the complete annihilation of his enemies at any chosen moment.

Even in that moment, as he raged, the snarl that seemed adhered to his finely chiseled face was more emotion than any had seen since the death of his mother and the return of his father too late to save her soul. Now this. Sesshoumaru could not be appeased by any but the blood of _her_.

Without heed, he slammed open the door to his Father's chamber. Word had reached him as he was in the forests that his father had brought a woman home. Not just any woman - a mortal woman who held his pup within her. There she was, the simpering bitch, hiding behind the broad shoulders of his great and terrible father.

"What do you think you're doing, whelp?" Mattaki growled out, his eyes narrowed.

"How dare you!" Sesshoumaru screamed, throwing a convenient, nearby vase. "This is how you honor Mother's memory? You take this… brainless trinket to bed?"

"You will cease your ranting now, Sesshoumaru, or Gods help me, I will stop you from speaking at all."

"What will you do Father? Kill your own son for some whore? To keep your precious new child safe? Or would you banish me? I sleep here as well Father, and you are not always about. I will kill her the first chance I get! You cannot disgrace my mother in such a fashion!"

"You listen to me, boy. You will not touch Izayoi," Mattaki ground out in a dangerous tone.

"Why, Father? Do you love her? All the centuries you spent with Mother and you repay her by impregnating another within decades of her untimely death?"

"No, son."

"Then give me one good damned reason why I shouldn't kill her now! Give me one reason not to strike you both down where you stand, you bastard!"

Mattaki, keeping eye contact with his son, strode a few steps to his right, and slid open the drawer fastened to the underside of a small table. Still keeping his eyes locked with those of Sesshoumaru, he plucked out his prize and strode to stand not but a foot before him and unblinkingly spoke. "Because this is the pup she carries."

Sesshoumaru saw what he held and time stopped. It was faded, the colors bleeding in strange ways on the sides, but it had held up surprisingly well over its three centuries of life. Spells had obviously been placed upon it to maintain it. The picture was of a young man in a red haori, in human terms no more than twenty, smiling at apparently nothing. His eyes were closed, but Sesshoumaru knew what color they would be. The silver hair and shape of his face made his identity obvious. This boy would be his brother.

A sneer formed again on his lips. "Why should I let her live because of this?"

"Because, son, his name is InuYasha."

Sesshoumaru choked and his eyes once again were gold. He shook his head in disbelief, wide eyed and frantic. Surely not? The boy whom Kagome had loved… her best friend… it all made sense now. Barest glimpses of silver and red as she flipped through the book of amazing portraits. An inuhanyou whom he would hate. A boy who was so important to Kagome's future that he swore he would not kill.

"She lied to me!" he screamed.

"No, pup, she didn't. She was afraid of your reaction to him, she knew it would not sit well with you to know that I moved on after your mother's death."

"Bullshit!" he cried. "She lied to my face! She extracted a promise from me not to kill the little abomination! She knew he was the product of your betrayal but she instead protected him! The bitch!"

He stormed away then, leaving a confused princess and grieving lord in his wake. "Pup, you'll understand her someday. And may the gods help you if you don't in time."

* * *

A/N: Just a grammar lesson for all you aspiring writers out there. ;)

GRAMMAR LESSON!:

This is something that has bothers me immensely. Yes, I make typos. Lots of them. I type 70-80 wpm while looking at my hands (stupid Mavis Beacon taught me nothing!), it's expected. Though I re-read to look for words that might not be caught by the spell-check (he instead of she or the, making entirely new words with an errant keystroke, etc) I pride myself on mostly knowing grammar related things and adhering to them when I am fully awake. Like, the proper uses for their, there, and they're. Or two, too, and to. But, even that is something I can overlook in fanfics (mostly, unless the wrong uses are rampant).

Why does it bother me so terribly that practically NO ONE seems to be able to use bear and bare correctly? If I read ONE MORE fanfic in which the author has Miroku saying, "Will you bare my children?" I am going to scream. Why would you want those poor children to be naked? D:

Bear (other than the furry animal) - to tolerate, to carry, to produce

Examples: "Will you bear my child?", "The thoughts were too much to bear.", "I will bear the weight of the backpack."

Bare - lacking clothing or decoration, a minimum of something

Examples: "She bathed her bare body.", "The bare essentials of what was needed.", "The field was bare of vegetation."

Please? Stop making the children naked.


	36. Completion

-1

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha. Please forgive all crappy references to Episode 7.

**WARNING: Lemon**, removed due to FFnet's policies. It is up on Media Miner and was once on "A Single Spark," though I don't know if that site still exists.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 36 - Completion_

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"You… you…" Kagome stuttered, her head moving back and forth of its own accord. She couldn't understand, she couldn't had hated her for protecting InuYasha? "I didn't do it to betray you, Sesshoumaru, I did it because… damnit, I explained all this to you this morning!"

"I know this."

"Then why? Why did you try to kill me? Why did you hold such animosity?"

"Because I was a fool," he stated, taking Kagome's breath away. The Great and Terrible Sesshoumaru had just called himself a fool. '_Write it down, take a picture, put it in the history books, people!' _Kagome's thought in awe.

"Please, make me understand," she said softly, meeting his eyes as they sped through the night. She hardly felt the wind whipping around her, lashing her hair about.

"I do not think it is possible for me to explain it in such a way that you could."

Kagome glared harshly. "No, I suppose not. I mean, the reasons behind the man I love trying several times to kill me before I ever even knew him must just be too much for my poor human brain to handle," she bit out dryly, her narrowed eyes clashing with the swirling gold ones that glowed so luminously in the night.

"Kagome, please stop that," he sighed, his voice colored with resignation.

"Stop what?"

"Stop making this more difficult than it must be. Being petty and childish will get us nowhere."

Her aura snapped around her in her rage. "I am so sorry, mighty Lord Sesshoumaru."

He shook his head and broke their staring contest, looking out at the horizon. "Yes, I believed you betrayed me…_ at first_," he accentuated, making whatever comebacks that were in the woman's mind halt temporarily. "I let my anger fuel me, ignoring all logical arguments. I became obsessed with power, with revenge. I wanted nothing more than to run from the pain I didn't even know I felt."

Kagome blanched and shook her head once more. "But Sesshou, I was not protecting your father. As much as I loved Mattaki, I was protecting InuYasha. Not because he was a half-breed, not because of the circumstances of how he came to be… I was protecting him selfishly. He was my best friend."

"Yes, I know this now. I was even coming to terms with it while he was pinned to his tree. Slowly, I began remembering all you said to me that day… today for you… and understanding exactly why you would. I had met him many times over the years, always in battle but never to my fullest potential. Even in my angriest of moments I kept my promise," his deep voice said softly, his eyes still trained away from her.

"Then please tell me why, Sesshoumaru, I need to know."

"I began to accept that you were not betraying me after all, though my quest for power never lessened. I spent so many years searching out the fang's hiding place, and no manner of epiphany was going to stop that pursuit. I could never be content with my own power, even though it surpassed all others' already, because I knew in my mind that I was still beneath the power of my father. I was only satisfied when I knew that I would one day I would surpass him. I would show him that I was the better one, that I was superior."

"But why did you need Tessaiga for that? Like you said, even without it, there were none who could compare to you."

"Except the dead inuyoukai whose shadow constantly loomed over me, no. Even with the understandings I was gaining towards you, I refused to have any acceptance for what my father did. It was unforgivable. And so I wished to exceed his power with my own. And so, I needed Tessaiga."

She simply nodded, unenthusiastically putting aside that argument and asking him silently to continue.

"Then came the news that InuYasha had been unsealed, and so I went to find out what he knew of its location. I was still so blinded by the prospect of power, I honestly did not recognize you at first."

She scowled. "Why thank you, love."

"No offense is meant. You were several years younger, in strange clothing, and it had been several centuries. Not to mention my attention was almost purely on InuYasha, giving you hardly a passing glance."

"Oh, you mean when you first arrived with the Un-Mother. I don't care if it was Jaken's idea, that was pretty low."

"Hn," he said, a small smile curling his lips. "Regardless, it was not until we were within my father's tomb that I started to pay attention to you. Your scent had been pulling at memories, and I ignored them until I finally took the time to look your way. It was shocking when I realized it. The darker part of me, the one who still believed your betrayal, seethed that you would be there defying me with him. My rational mind was fading quickly… and then you stood against me."

_"Sesshoumaru couldn't get it, so you try, InuYasha! Hit him where it hurts, in his pride!" Kagome screamed from her perch._

"My pride was hit, but not as intended. My rationality and any shreds of my heart that remained fled then, leaving only my disdain and hatred behind. You were no longer Kagome, you were another piece of human filth, just like all the others I had struck down."

_"Neither I nor you were able to retrieve the Tessaiga, but this girl was has easily gotten past the barrier. You want me to ignore this?" Sesshoumaru said slowly, his eyes finally leaving the face of the girl in front of him to glance over his shoulder at his brother._

_"She's just a human girl, I don't know how she did it! Kagome, just give the sword to Sesshoumaru!" InuYasha screeched, his body tensed._

_Kagome huffed and shook her head indignantly. "No way! He couldn't pull it out, so that means it's not his! I won't give it to him!"_

"During that battle, for the first time, I did not care if he died. I forgot my promise, I forgot myself. My soul demanded retribution, my heart was ignored. My hate is all I let guide me, and I decided to start by getting rid of the one thing that had kept me from abandoning my feelings for all those years: you."

_"As you can see, this Sesshoumaru has no such weakness towards humans," he sneered, poison secreting in clouds from his hand and enveloping both Kagome and the treasured sword._

"Obviously that didn't work. Do you really think it was the barrier that saved me? Or perhaps it was your father?" she pondered, looking down at her sneakered feet.

"I do not know, but my intent was to kill. I remember little else from that day, though I do remember the severance of my arm," he said in a tight voice. "Such a foolish mistake. With my bestial nature in control instead of my hatred, it heard you and turned to look. It recognized your voice and scent. That is the only reason the blow InuYasha dealt only severed my arm instead of going through my chest."

Kagome's breath hitched. "Do you hate me still?" she asked fearfully, her grip unconsciously tightening where she was latched around his waist.

"Don't be stupid," he nearly whispered. "I would not have helped you as I did if I hated you."

She looked up to his profile. "When did you finally stop hating me?"

"Not until you stayed with me, but even that is only a product of being drawn from the cage I enclosed myself in. It was actually Rin's presence, her ability to make me feel again, that brought me to any kind of sanity."

Kagome let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and leaned her head against his pelt, her eyes burning with tears. "Thank goodness," she breathed.

Sesshoumaru stiffened noticeably, "You… are taking all this well…" he ventured.

"I can't pretend to understand, but I do forgive you. It is in the past now, right? Besides, I think back to all the times you saved me… six I can think of right off the top of my head. Who knows what you did when I didn't know it was you? I think you've more than made up for it all." She felt his sigh and his arm tightened around her, her heartbeat and breathing finally slowing to a normal unstressed state. "Where are we going?"

"My sanctuary… I wish for you to see how it has flourished."

"Ah," she whispered. "How much longer?"

"An hour or more; rest if you wish."

"Thank you, love," she whispered again before drifting off to sleep.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes to the darkness and pulled in a deep breath, his heart pounding. He had expected much worse from the temperamental woman, and was thankful she had not exploded. Gods knew he couldn't go another five centuries without a taste of his mate. He wasn't sure his sanity could take it.

Hate was honestly not the word to describe how he had ever felt for her… he had merely been blinded by hatred towards everything else. Betrayed, yes… furious, definitely… but not hatred. He hated many things, but she was never one of them. They say there is a very fine line between affection and hatred, but though he had walked that line, he never crossed it.

He could see the waterfall sparkling in the distance, and unconsciously picked up the pace. The night was getting darker, and he decided to just allow his charge to sleep. She needed it after all, the day had been taxing for her. And so once he reached the small, blooming clearing he settled her on the ground and quietly removed his armor and swords. Nothing could get through the barrier, anyway. Quickly stripping from his layers, he took the plain under haori and laid it across her small sleeping form before walking to the ponds edge to sit on a outcropped boulder and gaze reminiscently at the silvery moon.

* * *

Kagome awoke slowly, her vision foggy. It was still night, but hazy dreams had filled her and finally forced her to stir. Sharp pains attacked her side and she groaned lethargically before rolling away, the rocks that had been biting into her skin disengaging her without much effort. Her eyes still unfocused, Kagome looked around for Sesshoumaru.

As her heart rate increased, her vision became clear quickly. Whereas the clearing in the past had been pleasant and relaxing, it was downright breathtaking now. The pond which caught the water from the small waterfall had expanded quite a bit, the rocks along half its circumference smoothed. She could not tell whether either of those differences were from time alone or if Sesshoumaru had helped nature along, but that didn't matter.

All across the outcropping and snaking their way up the rocky, sheer cliff face were some kind of moonflower, and at this point of the night all of them were opened majestically, seeming luminous in the glow of the moon. And in all of the glory of the beautiful scene stood a veritable god. Her god.

Sesshoumaru's back was to her as he stood waist deep in the water, his silver-white hair glistening with droplets. He seemed captivated by the water itself, his clawed hand outstretched to let the falls' water run over his hand and down his arm, but he didn't move. He just kept his eyes trained down on the path the water formed as it wound its way across his skin.

Finally realizing the need to breathe, Kagome inhaled rather loudly and caught the object of her admiration's attention, a small smile quirked on his lips. "Do you like what you see?" Downturned eyes and a fierce blush were his response, and he chuckled. "I meant the clearing. It has changed since you were here last, has it not?"

She nodded slowly. "It's beautiful. I hope you are able to preserve it through time; there are so few beautiful spaces like this in my time."

"This barrier will last so long as I do, there is nothing to worry about there."

Kagome smiled faintly, before becoming acutely aware that the source of the other end of her conversation was still very much naked, bringing on another blush.

"You have seen me this way before, why do you turn so many different shades of crimson now?" he said casually, but she could see the twinkle in his eyes even from where she was.

She huffed. "You… you!" she said intelligently, glaring before spinning on her rump to turn her back.

"So articulate, my Kagome," he purred teasingly, swiping a towel from a boulder and wrapping it around his hips, approaching his betrothed. He crouched behind her and twirled a strand of her hair on his finger. He was rewarded with an acceleration of her heart merely through his proximity. Sesshoumaru grinned inwardly.

"Well, so?" she stuttered. Damn if she couldn't find a way to speak right at the moment. She turned her head slightly and looked into his eyes.

Her breath hitched and she was captivated. She didn't notice herself moving forward, her body swiveling to his, until she caught his lips with her own and had already tangled her fingers in the wet, flowing river that was his hair.

* * *

Lemon removed. Go to MediaMiner or A Single Spark.

* * *

"Is it always like that?" Kagome crooned dreamily, her eyes heavy and her smile almost delirious.

"Hn, no…" Sesshoumaru breathed, still unable to catch his breath. "I think it must be a byproduct of marking, because I have never felt that way."

"How do you know it wasn't just me?" Kagome replied with a grin, pushing him over onto his back. She curled against him, her heart pounding in time with his.

"Hilarious, my love," he said, burying his nose in her slightly damp raven locks.

"So, if you re-mark me every time, do we get that again and again?"

"I don't really know," he said with a frown. "I never thought to inquire."

"Well, we can find out together."

"Yes," he said softly, smiling into her hair and letting his eyes drift closed.

"Can I see the kids tomorrow?" she asked sleepily, tossing a leg over his bare ones.

"Yes."

"Can you say anything other than yes?"

"Yes."

"That's good," she whispered, grinning as she succumbed to the call of sleep.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I did a 'nothing went wrong' lemon, even though I snicker every time I read them. We can't have Sesshoumaru looking like anything but suave and who cares that Kagome would likely not feel much pleasure her first time? Damnit, I want mutual pleasure, and so it shall be. Sorry for the stereotypical-ness, but that is just how I operate. I also used the youkai-biting-'marking' Fanon piece, because I think it's hot. What of it? XD It is an ancient, revered (hah) thing in Fanon culture, one of the first and most widely known ones! Comes from DBZ fics of old, if my memory serves.


	37. Purpose

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 37 - Purpose_

* * *

"Momma!" cried a little ball of fluff, tears of joy already falling free from his cheeks. Kagome smiled sadly and ensnared the young fox in a tight hug, her own tears falling as well.

"Oh, Shippou! Have you been good?"

"Of course! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, sweetie," she said, nuzzling him.

"Kagome!"

"Rin, hello!" she called, crouching down and opening an arm for the girl to join the embrace. Sesshoumaru looked on with soft eyes and a straight face.

"Where have you been?" Shippou asked curiously, his emerald eyes blinking up at her.

She pulled both children to sit on the edge of the courtyard's fountain, mockingly close to where she had seen Sesshoumaru kissing Yaone all those years ago. A child seated on either side of her, she smiled. "Well, instead of going back to my time, I went to the past instead. I got to be right here when Sesshoumaru was younger, and met his mother and father."

"Wow!" Rin chimed, her eyes wide. "Was Lord Sesshoumaru little like Rin?"

The older woman giggled. "No, Rin-chan, he just looked a few years younger. He was very different then, though," she said with a glance up at the seemingly apathetic youkai lord. It was then she remembered the pictures and rifles through her oversized yellow pack. "In fact…"

Recovering her prizes she showed them to the children with a smile, watching their expressions as they looked at the younger Sesshoumaru. "He looks the same," Rin pouted.

Kagome giggled. "Yes, he does, just a few small differences that are hard to see in pictures. Here is one of his parents, and one of all four of us," she said with a smile.

"Lord Sesshoumaru's mother is very pretty!" Rin cried, and Shippou nodded emphatically. Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru and handed him two of the three pictures.

"My gift to you, love. They won't last the whole time, but they will have to do until you find me again, we can make bigger copies of those I already have."

He smiled just a bit larger than he usually would, and inclined his head. "Thank you, my love," he whispered and gazed down at the picture of his mother and father, a far-off look in his eyes.

"So you're gonna stay now, right Kagome?" Shippou asked, his eyes unblinking and searching.

Kagome turned and her smile faltered. "I'm afraid not. I only have until sunset to spend with you, then I have to go back to my home."

"But!" Shippou cried. "You and Sesshoumaru are mated now, you can't _go_!"

This brought on a deep red blush to the girl. "That was five hundred years in the making, Shippou."

Rin had stayed quiet throughout this exchange, and a tear fell down her cheek as she stared at her hands. "You don't want to stay with Rin and Lord Sesshoumaru, Kagome?" she whispered.

Kagome's eyes overflowed and she ensnared the girl in a hug. "Oh, Rin! I would stay here if I had a choice! I wish I never had to leave any of you… but I don't get to choose. I'm so, so sorry."

Rin sobbed and clung to the furisode Sesshoumaru had brought to Kagome that morning, and Kagome stroked her back. Sesshoumaru looked on in obvious discomfort, his only hand twitching as if he wished to pat the child. Kagome held tightly to her and Shippou patted her head in his own attempt at consoling.

"Kagome, are you sure you can't stay?" he asked sadly, eyes watering.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. It was the price I had to pay to bring everyone back after Naraku. I'm so sorry."

Rin sniffled and looked up, her eyes puffy. "Will you remember Rin when you go?"

"Goodness, of course Rin! I will never be able to forget any of you so long as I live!"

"That… that's good," she said with a tentative smile.

"Do you promise to remember me, too?"

"Yes, Kagome!" the little girl chirped, her tears practically forgotten.

"Shippou, I have asked Sesshoumaru for permission for you to stay here… I want you well taken care of, and I trust him completely."

The little fox nibbled his lip, obviously contemplating her words. He nodded slowly. "If it is okay with Lord Sesshoumaru. But would it be alright if I went to stay with Sango and Miroku for a while? I mean… I want to spend time with them while they're still… around…" he trailed off, his eyes on the floor.

"Fox," Sesshoumaru broke in.

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru?" he replied with almost no fear. Kagome was glad that he had relaxed around him while she'd been gone.

"You will send word to the monk and slayer to acquire permission, and you will send word to me once you wish to return."

"Yes!" Shippou sung with a glowing smile to the demon lord.

"Thank you, Sesshou," Kagome said softly, walking to him and placing a hand on his arm.

He smiled just the slightest bit to her and placed a chaste kiss on her temple. "I told you I would take care of him, and so I shall. He will survive to see you again, on my honor."

She smiled and reached up on her toes to place a feather-light kiss to his lips, gaining another small smile from the outwardly stoic lord.

A giggle pulled her away from him, seeing Rin and Shippou standing with wide grins. "Kagome was kissing Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin cried loudly, and Kagome cringed inwardly knowing that half the youkai in the castle would have heard that. Not that it mattered, she had been fated to be the Lady since before many of them had been born.

"That's cuz their mates," Shippou said with a sage nod. "That means they're gonna be together forever and have lotsa pups!"

"Really? Lord Sesshoumaru and Kagome are going to have babies?" Rin screeched, and Kagome was thankful she did not have youkai hearing.

"Someday, Rin. Just... not now. Err, right, Sesshoumaru?" she added nervously.

He shook his head minutely and she could see the laughter in his eyes. "No, not now."

"Wow!" Rin called, running circles around her two favorite adults. "Will you name one of your babies Rin, so Rin can know you remember Rin?"

Kagome's head spun at the third-person sentence, but laughed. "I'll have to ask Sesshoumaru that one, but I don't see why not."

She squealed and hugged each of their legs. "Wanna come to the gardens with Shippou and Rin and pick flowers?" she inquired.

"After lunch, Rin," Sesshoumaru said sternly, earning a rigid bow from the girl.

"Okay!"

* * *

The day went by amicably, Kagome sitting in the cool fall afternoon by Sesshoumaru's side as the children pranced about the gardens. The servants and guard had been stunned that the long-lost Lady of their Lord had returned, not understanding how a human could survive five hundred years. Not that they asked, but Kagome could sense the questions in the sometimes hostile glances her way throughout the day.

As the sun began to fall, Kagome's nerves were frazzled, and uncaring of whomever might be watching Sesshoumaru pulled her into his lap. She cried silently, watching the two playmates chase one another without a care.

"Are you sure you can wait five hundred more years?" Kagome asked worriedly into his chest.

"I would wait another millennia for you if need be," he replied, his arm tightening around her.

"But is it alright? I feel guilty…"

"Why would you?"

She shrugged lightly, her face still pressed into the silk covering his chest. "I don't know. I just don't want to ever be your obligation…"

"Never," he cut in, moving his arm to turn up her face. "You will never be a mere obligation."

"I love you, Sesshoumaru."

He smiled and kissed her gently, her hands working their way up to cup his face. The kiss turned desperate, needy, and tears once again slipped silently down Kagome's face. The kiss broke and he quickly dried her tears with his lips, his nose pressing into her skin.

Goodbyes were tearful from the children as the sun threatened the horizon, and they were sent away from the mourning couple to have a moment together before the end came. She simply laid in his arms and sighed miserably. "I wish I didn't have to go."

"As do I."

"Stay safe, and take care of those kids, okay?"

"Of course."

"Seriously, Sesshoumaru… Rin especially. That little girl looks up to you like you hung the moon, and she is only human. Give her the love she needs, you're the closest thing to a father she has."

Sesshoumaru blinked several times. "She thinks of me in such a way?"

"Of course she does, you're her hero! She has a major Daddy's Girl complex." He rose his eyebrow in question and she laughed. "Meaning in my time she would argue with other kids about how her dad was the best person ever, and no one could compare. He makes the sun rise, and no one could ever be stronger or more wonderful."

Sesshoumaru's face softened the most she had ever seen in his current era. "I will do my best."

Kagome's held her breath as the sun sunk down and quickly tightened her grip. "Come for me, please!"

"Always."

As the sun finally met with the skyline, Kagome could feel herself fading fast. With a quickly planted kiss she faded away, staring into forlorn golden eyes that shone more brightly than the sun.

* * *

Instead of white, she was surrounded in a deep, calming, luminous blue, and Midoriko stood before her with a wide smile. "Thank you, Kagome. I am finally free to completely rest in peace. I thank you, child."

Kagome's eyes were still pained, but she managed a weak smile. "You're welcome, Lady Midoriko. I hope your rest is fruitful."

"It shall be. I cannot wait to see my friends again."

"Can you please tell me all that I accomplished without knowing? I do not see more than a few small instances in which I could have changed anything."

"You _changed _nothing. Remember my words…

_To guarantee events thus far come to pass_

_Anon a new journey to ensure that which has_

"You had to make things that had already happened, happen. If you had not done these things, it would have been disastrous."

_Past, present, future; all three have aligned_

_Anon you shall see all - anon shall you find_

_Into the unknown to face that which you do_

_An ending to a beginning, understanding what is true_

"This was to tell you all along that you were meant in your own time, but the fates also needed you in both of the other time periods you have visited. The future you know would not exist if not for your actions, Kagome."

_Events interwoven, a circle thus far incomplete_

_Anon, little miko... destiny shall thee meet_

"You completed the circle, and all things as you know are now assured. Actions seeming minute have more of an effect than you may think. And your destiny was to find your love. You and Sesshoumaru have been fated together since his own birth."

"So then," Kagome said quietly, "fate is predetermined."

"No."

Kagome looked at her confused. "I don't understand?"

"It is a difficult thing to. You could have done a million things differently. You might have not tried to lead Mistress Centipede from the village, causing you to find InuYasha… but you did. You did not have to be so understanding when he wished to see Kikyou, but you did. You may not have taken in your friends as family, but you did. Your purity and selfless heart made you do these things, but any of them would have altered the future irreparably.

"While in the farther past, you might not have attempted a friendship with your Sesshoumaru, but your heart told you to. You might not have helped the Eastern Lady birth, but you did. A lesser soul would not have cared for the Southern Lord's heart, but you were sure to. So many small things that make up what you know."

"Then tell me, tell me what I've done!"

"Not all of it will make you happy, you know. Several things were in fact terrible things that had to happen nonetheless."

"Please… just tell me."

"Yes. First of all, you told the truth to Mattaki. By doing this, you assured he would allow himself to take a human mate after Kaori's death since he knew that, to you, it had already happened. It also gave him the idea to use the sealing spell for InuYasha's blood on Tessaiga."

"Wow, I did that just by telling him the truth?"

"Yes. Next, you befriended young Sesshoumaru, and eventually the two of you fell in love. Without thoughts of you, if he had even survived the shock of his mother's death, he would have killed Izayoi the day he discovered she was pregnant. It was Mattaki confessing his future connection to you that stayed his hand. InuYasha would have died several times over if Sesshoumaru didn't know how important to you he was, even through his sense of betrayal towards you."

Kagome cringed and nodded, "I am glad he understands now."

"As am I, for that would have surely changed the plotted future, but even I am not aware of the reaches of fate. But I am sure we are both aware of InuYasha's great importance to the world's fate. Without him, all we know would have collapsed." Midoriko paused before continuing, giving Kagome a moment to soak that in. "When you went out with Mattaki, there was no reason for you to help that little boy, but you did without knowing who he was. I gather you realized it later, though?"

"Yes, he was an ancestor of Miroku."

"Indeed. So by that you made sure that your friend would exist. Your next task was a very small one, but you did it and it assured something very important to you. By simply talking to Gyakusetsu as you did, when his second mate was killed a decade later he fell in love with a widowed kitsune vixen with several children, and despite the political implications of taking an unknown woman like her, he did because of the small talk you had. Her oldest son was Shippou's father."

Kagome smiled widely. "I'm so happy for Setsu, he deserved that happiness."

The older miko smiled. "I thought you might say that. The next thing was when you rescued the human girl in the forest, and sent her on her way to the Demon Exterminator's village with my companion Kirara. Not only did you assure Sango's lineage by sending Kirara to the village, but the girl you sent with her was actually an ancestor of little Rin."

"Rin? At the Externimator's village?"

"No, the child of the woman you sent there would leave the village, and so on until young Rin."

"Is that it? You said there were bad things?"

"Yes, there are, but I wished to give you the good news first."

"Please… tell me."

"Of course. Some of what I will say will hurt you, but you mustn't blame yourself, child. You had no idea of the outcome, and simply did what you always did, and it was the way things had to be."

"Just tell me."

"All right. There were only two instances, but both caused terrible but necessary events. The first was the village you and Mattaki saved. The boar's were stirred up by the Shikon Jewel, though it was not even out of dormancy at the time. Just its presence in open space made youkai more on edge and jittery, though they did not know why. So, because they stirred you and my lord were sent after them… and because you killed them all, the village was safe from future attack."

"I don't understand, why is that bad?"

"One of the men in that village was a bandit… one of the ones responsible for the fall of Futaridori, in fact. Far in his future, his descendant would be one you knew was Onigumo."

Kagome's breath hitched, and she shook her head. "So… inadvertently, I saved Naraku?"

"Yes."

"Gods…" she said, cinching her eyes closed.

"Do not be upset, child, Naraku had to come to be. If not, you would not have existed and neither would have your adventure. Countless other innocents and their family lines would have died as well with unknown results, so it is not your fault."

"Mm," she said softly, shaking her head. "It just hurts a bit."

"Expected. The next will likely affect deeper."

"Its bad, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. But again, it was not your fault, simply a chain reaction. Because of your presence in the House of the Moon, as well as your imminent confrontation with him, much animosity grew between the Northern Lord and Lord Mattaki."

Kagome gulped visibly, already paling with the implications.

"It broke several already tenuous treaties, and it was an assassin of their house that was sent to kill both Kaori and Sesshoumaru."

Kagome flinched and her breathing accelerated. "Gods, no! You're telling me that its my fault that Kaori died?"

"No, the fault was in the bigoted brain of the Northern Lord, not you. You were simply a trigger for what likely would have happened anyway. As much as I loved her, if Kaori had lived then Mattaki would never have gone to bed with Izayoi in his grief, and InuYasha would never have been conceived. But there is still more, child."

"How can it get worse?"

"Mattaki eventually found out who had hired the assassin, and the Northern Lord was killed in retaliation. Thusly, his son, Ryukotsusei, took over as the Northern Lord. When Mattaki took Izayoi, Ryukotsusei made an attempt on her life, which in turn made Mattaki go after him and leave his new mate in her home village. It was that night he sealed Ryukotsusei and lost his life due to his wounds, and his necessity to save Izayoi from the human samurai at her home."

Tears fell from Kagome's eyes. "So both Sesshoumaru's parents died because of me. They were like family to me! How could I have been the cause?"

Midoriko's eyes were sad as she wrapped her arms around the girl. "Again, you were not. It had nothing to do with you, and everything to do with fate. Their deaths were necessary in the long run, no matter how painful. I know they would not blame you."

"But… I… blame… me!" she choked out between sobs.

"That will pass with time, child. Even I do not know the extent of the things you did, but I know many things effect the time you come from as well. All will be revealed with time, and know that you only did that which your soul told you was right. Remember that part of my soul is within you, and I would have done the same which you did. It was all you could do."

Eventually her weeping slowed and the older miko pushed her back, drying her tears with a motherly caress. "Now you must go back, and you must live your life. Your destiny is not yet complete. Be well, my child, and be strong. I am proud of you."

The woman and the blue glow faded, leaving Kagome standing in front of her family home. She could hear her brother's shouts, asking her mother where his school clothes for the next day were. Kagome smiled sadly; it had been over a half year since she left. Her sorrow lessened just the slightest bit and she spun around, looking everywhere for a hope of seeing a flash of silver…but none was there. But she couldn't be disheartened. There was no calendar in his time, and she hadn't thought to estimate an exact date she would return.

The front door opened with a creak. "Kagome?" a shocked gasp came.

"Mama?" Kagome said hopefully, her eyes lighting.

"Oh, honey!" she cried, racing forward to embrace her daughter. "I was so worried!"

Her bag dropped to the ground at her side. "I'm alright mama, but I have _so much _to tell you!"

"Then come in, there's leftover Oden from dinner. I'm so glad you're home!"

And so Kagome allowed herself to be led inside, hope and love in her heart alleviating the ache of Midoriko's words. All would be right with time.


	38. Tenrai

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha. Chapter title means divine or heaven-sent.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 38 - Tenrai_

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_"Wait for me!" she cried, her arms trying to grasp out._

_"Forever…" the deep baritone murmured, his lack of expression belayed by the infinite sadness in his eyes._

_And so she was gone. Kiyoi could hardly breathe as she came back to herself, the darkness of a familiar place oppressive. She sobbed quietly late into the night, waiting for her price-turned-king to rescue her from her own crushing despair._

_That day would never come._

_

* * *

_

"Kagome?" a muffled voice called, bringing her from her early morning daze. She finally took in the steady knocking at her front door and sighed, skirting her desk and bounding through her living room. Her apartment was small, but Kagome thought it was the perfect size for her.

She pulled open the door and smiled. "Hi, Ayumi," she said with a grin that never quite reached her eyes. Ayumi was used to this and stepped into the apartment, holding out a jewel case to her friend.

"I brought it back. It's amazing, Kagome, but the ending was so terribly sad!"

Her friend was referring to the fifth in a series of books, which also coincided with the end of Kagome's journey. She had finished it a week ago, and given the disk to Ayumi to read over, just as she had with each of her other books. The girl had always been a sucker for a romance novel.

"I just thought it was fitting," Kagome mumbled, putting on water for tea.

"It was heart-wrenching! The whole series I kept telling you I loved it, and you just knocked my socks off with every new installment! How long do I have to wait for the next book?"

"There won't be another."

"_What_?" her friend screeched, practically leaping over the breakfast bar and grabbing Kagome's arm. "You can't end it there!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and stared at the kettle… stupid thing, taking so long. She didn't want to be having this conversation. "Do you have your comment notebook?" Kagome hedged.

"Of course I do, why else would I be allowed to read before your publisher?" Ayumi scolded, with a deep frown. "You're going to have a lot of pissed off readers if you leave the series there."

Ayumi was the only one of Kagome's old friends she still spoke to. The others had given up on her over the years she was 'ill'; even Hojou had eventually moved on. After her return only Ayumi had remained, and the two were very close. They shared everything with one another and had even move into the same apartment building.

It had been three years since she had returned. Three years of near-solitude for Kagome in which she took college courses in creative writing and history to make her feel able to write her books. Her series, '_Lost in Time', _was a major seller across Japan, and had been picked up rather quickly after the first book was finished due to its originality. It had even been translated into English, but it didn't sell very well overseas until the most recent book, which had been getting a lot of attention in previous weeks.

Now she had finished her final book, and she was left wondering exactly what she would do now. Writing had been her sanity, but coming to the end and still being without Sesshoumaru weighed heavily on her shoulders. She had hoped to have, by now, a different ending to add. She had stalled in the last book's production as long as she could according to her contract, but now she had no choice.

"Kagome?"

"It's nothing," she said in response to Ayumi's concerned eyes, smiling her vacant smile.

Ayumi sighed and put an hand lightly on her friends shoulder. "When will you ever tell me why you are so sad, Kagome? All these years and you've never told me! You can't play it off on the sicknesses you had in high school anymore, you've been healthy for years now."

"Well…" Kagome pushed off her friends comforting hand and set the tea to steep, walking into the living room with the two cups. It was times like this she was tempted to tell, tempted to blurt out how her books were real, that _she_ was Kiyoi, that she was the one still waiting for her love to return. That she had crossed over through Japanese history and saved the world from evil, fallen in love twice, found her destiny.

But she never did. She never could. She couldn't stand that look she knew her friend would get in her eyes, the one that was meant to be understanding but was actually pity. Not pity for her hardships, but for her sanity. The look that showed they thought her mind too addled from her years of 'sickness' and that she had obviously gone off the deep end. So instead she smiled again. "Its just too hard, Ayumi. When it stops hurting, I'll tell you," she lied blatantly. She didn't care; she had been lying to this entire world for years now.

Her friend sighed heavily. "I'll be here when you're ready. Mind if I stay here and we can go to school together? Professor Kouro said he had a special announcement today."

She nodded and sipped her tea. "I wonder what that old coot has up his sleeve now."

"Probably another outing. He's such an eccentric old man, rambling on about youkai, spirits, and demons all the time."

Kagome smiled wryly, her expression hidden by her cup. The fact that she knew the old teacher had it right was what made her take his class for the third semester in a row. He never taught the same things, and he always argued for the existence of youkai in history. Kagome was often the only student standing beside him on his beliefs.

Ayumi pulled out the notebook she kept while reading Kagome's story and handed it over, and the two spent a good couple of hours going over it. She was not a proof reader, she simply wrote down any questions she didn't feel were answered, or things that didn't make enough sense. If it didn't make sense to her friend's astute mind, it probably wouldn't to the majority of readers either. Ayumi's help was invaluable.

Kagome took notes of her own while they talked, going over things she would have to elaborate on or tweak. She liked this to happen before it went to her editor, so that she didn't have to deal with him trying to change the plot around. He was always trying that anyway, but she preferred to give him less reasons to try. This was her story, and whether the world believed it fiction or not she was going to tell it. She would immortalize InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Rin, and Sesshoumaru forever, even if it was seen as a novel.

The books were detailed accounts of all major events, several large less-important chunks aside, a chronicle of her life from the day she fell through the well, her adventures to defeat Naraku, her love for InuYasha, and finally moving onto her story with Sesshoumaru. Most of that story was in her current book, the one Ayumi had just finished. All about her journey with him for the collection of the Shikon, her trip back in time even farther, and back to present day.

Her mother hated the books. She hadn't thought of such a repercussion when she had began writing. She spared no gory detail, no injury. She had been unfazed to share the details of Naraku's attemped seductions, her multiple abductions, the Dark Miko Tsubake controlling her mind, her seclusion in the cave and near death, the time she had been speared through the shoulder and hip by tentacles and nearly died… after all, no one knew it wasn't fiction, so why should she be ashamed?

Then, after her fourth book hit its fourth week in the first spot on the booksellers lists, her mother had felt compelled to read. She had never shown interest before, considering she 'knew' everything that had happened. There had been a review in the paper that had sparked her interest, talking of the tragic, pain and death-filled installment of the series. She hadn't told Kagome when she picked up the books to read, but once she had finished the fourth she had gotten the screaming of a lifetime.

Of _course_ she had never told her mother of the true dangers she faced daily. She would have had to of been a fool to divulge it. It would have caused her to worry more than she needed to at best, and would have kept her mother from allowing her to return at worst. Neither had been appetizing so she had never told her. When she was injured, she stayed away and feigned they had been on the other side of the country traveling until she was well enough to cross over without question.

Her mother had been more furious than Kagome could ever remember seeing her, and refused to let the past be. She had wept and screamed at Kagome alternately, asking her how she could have stayed back there if all those terrible things had been happening to her. She couldn't understand Kagome's devotion to her friends, or her sense of duty. She kept blaming herself for allowing Kagome to go in the first place, even though the younger woman had cried right back that she would have gone anyway.

That was only a few months ago, and they were finally just now beginning to mend their relationship. It was difficult, but knowing the well was likely permanently sealed had given the woman peace of mind. Even with Kagome as an adult now, her mother was still very protective. She hadn't even wanted her to move out two years ago, but Kagome had needed to.

Kagome and Ayumi started off for Ayumi's car, ready to go to class. The class centered around mythology and folklore and its presence in history. Kagome loved going to that class, and never missed it. She wasn't planning on getting a degree, she simply took classes she wanted to take recreationally. She had a nice amount of money in savings from her books, and knew she could push out a few more based on the 'characters' in her books if she needed the money. But for now she had enough for her to live comfortably for nearly a decade without hassle, so she didn't worry overmuch. She had very meager tastes and didn't frivolously spend.

They arrived in class, but Kagome's mind wasn't on the lecture. This week was the third anniversary of her return, and it always tore down her spirits and attention span. Not a twinge of youki, not a glimpse of abnormal hair, eyes, or fangs. Nothing. She was alone now, with no one but her mother and brother to share in reminiscences of a dog-eared hanyou boy and trips into a land forgotten.

Her grandfather had passed a few months after her return, and she had stayed with her mother while she mourned. It didn't take long before she was talking about moving out, though. She couldn't stand to be there, glimpse the well house, see the still-familiar shrine and its memories. The God tree was the worst. Goshinboku brought back far too many memories, and even just a glance at its permanently scarred bark would make her burst into tears.

So she had gotten her own apartment and a part-time job while she wrote her first book, alone most of the time. She had reunited with Ayumi in college, as well as Eri and Yuka, but both the latter were just too frivolous and immature for Kagome to handle. Ayumi had seemed to be the only one who'd grown up since high school, and who didn't bother pestering her on the fate of her 'two-timing boyfriend'. The only mention of Sesshoumaru was once when Ayumi had come across her weeping, simply telling the girl that the love of her life had gone the same way his brother had.

But Ayumi knew not to press her, and simply offered her camaraderie. That was exactly what Kagome needed, and cherished her friend. Even in her infinite sadness, Ayumi was like a light for her. She had no memories of her adventures and so wouldn't accidentally slip into conversation about it like her mother, and as much she loved her family she just couldn't handle that most of the time.

Class was already dismissing, and Kagome was dismayed to see she had been zoning out the entire hour of class. She blushed and put her notebook back into her bag, swearing under her breath. She had chipper conversation with her friend, but feigned a stomachache to be able to go home. She laid on her bed in silence for hours, simply recounting her life before that point, until darkness finally fell over Tokyo, taking Kagome into dreams with it.

* * *

Daylight fell harshly into Kagome's eyes, and she squinted into in angrily. A cool breeze made her shiver. "Huh?" she muttered, sitting up slowly. Kagome's head was spinning, her vision blurred. "Wasn't I sleeping in my bed? How did I…" she gasped as she looked around. She was in the well's clearing, just as it had been the last time she'd seen it years ago. Tears swam in her eyes and she choked back a sob. Why would her mind be so cruel as to dream of this place after so long?

She stood and went to the well, looking into its depths with sad eyes. A million trips between eras played out in her head, 'sit, boy's to InuYasha when he was being difficult and not letting her go. The sob finally escaped and she clung to the well's rim. "Why now? I can't keep reliving all this for the rest of my life… InuYasha… Sesshoumaru… all my friends… what wouldn't I give to see them again?"

"Keh, crying again, wench?"

Kagome spun to meet the golden eyes of her first love, his smile bright and genuine. She rushed to him, squeezing him with all her might. "At least if I'm going to dream of this place, I can have you in it too."

"This may be a dream, but I'm really here, you know, and hanyou or not I need to breath!"

Kagome stepped back and gasped. "Inu… Yasha?"

"That's my name, had you forgotten?"

She smacked him across the chest with a grin. "You came. I thought you had forgotten me, since you never visited me after that first time…"

"Like I could forget you, wench. Sit with me, huh?"

Kagome nodded emphatically and dropped across from him, looking at him with misty eyes. "Why did you come now?"

He shrugged. "Keh, do I need a reason to see you?"

She smiled sadly and put a hand to his cheek. "You've changed, but it's good. Your smiles… they're real now…"

He smirked. "Being on the right end of the spirit realm can do that for you."

Kagome's eyes went wide. "You didn't get stuck in hell?"

"I guess being willing to sacrifice myself for everything we did and to let Kikyou's soul rest, I earned a pass to the better place. Kikyou…" he looked sad for the first time. "She wasn't so lucky. But I've learned the things she did, and I can't say I argue on the decision. The times she tried to hurt you… the people she harmed while walking the earth the second time…" he broke off, his eyes shining deceptively bright. "She basically cancelled out all the good deeds she did in her real life."

Kagome fidgeted. "I'm sorry," she paused, not knowing what to say before saying lamely, "So, other than that, you are happy, then?"

"I'll be happier once you can join me, it's boring with no one to fight with."

"Will you visit me more often from now on, InuYasha?"

He looked to the ground for a minute. "I will when I can… but it wouldn't be good for you for me to come too often. It is all you did, the sacrifices to your life to help the past that allows these visits, but I don't want you to… you know…"

"I wouldn't take it for granted, or live for this place… I just feel more complete to know that I have my best friend out there."

"Keh," he said, blushing and turning away.

"InuYasha?"

"What, wench?"

"Do you… do you know if Sesshou is still alive?"

InuYasha's jaw dropped.


	39. Grieving

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

**

* * *

**

**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 39 - Grieving_

* * *

InuYasha whipped back around. "Huh?"

"I want to know if Sesshoumaru is okay or not."

He growled at her, his eyes narrowing. "Why? I don't know. I only know the people who make it to the better plane, and Gods know that he wouldn't. Probably is dead, good riddance."

Kagome flinched and looked down, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Was that necessary, InuYasha?" a deep voice boomed.

Kagome's eyes flew up and the tears became happy ones. "Mattaki!" she cried, sprinting into the elder youkai's arms. He grabbed her around the waist and spun her in a circle, his rumbling laugh filling the clearing.

InuYasha's eyes were wide. "Uhh… Kagome? Dad? What the fuck?"

Kagome didn't let go of the inuyoukai, but looked at InuYasha incredulously. "What?"

Mattaki let out a sound suspiciously like a snicker. "We never told him."

"What? How could he not know?" she said, her eyes narrowing at Mattaki's very nearby golden ones, her arms still latched around his neck.

"Would you believe me if I said we forgot, and he didn't pay enough attention to notice?"

"Sure, I believe he wouldn't pay attention, but I doubt you forgot."

He grinned, his fangs flashing. "Ahh, my friend, it has been too long. I must say though, your storytelling was wonderful, but to watch it all was enlightening."

"Would someone clue me in already, damnit?" InuYasha boomed.

"Oh InuYaha? Sit, boy!" Kagome chimed in a sing-song voice, sending the hanyou into the ground and making Mattaki burst into peals of laughter, finally releasing her so he could brace his hands on his thighs.

"Mate, I think it is wrong to laugh at others' misfortune," a giggling voice chastised.

"Kaori!" Kagome giggled, running to embrace the youkai tightly. "It is wonderful to see you again."

"You as well, Kagome. I missed you terribly."

InuYasha tapped Kagome's shoulder, getting a glare from the miko. He shrunk back, his ears flat to his head but scowled. "Can you _please_ tell me how in the hell you are so friendly with my dad and shithead's mom?"

Kagome sat him into a crater for that one and glared, but glanced over her shoulder at Mattaki. "He doesn't know _any_ of it? None?"

"We are not allowed to view the earthen plane for a century after our deaths. He missed it all and never asked."

Kagome sighed into her hands, "Oh, hell," she moaned. "This will not be fun."

"If you keep using the rosary on him, it will be!" Mattaki grinned, earning a smack from both Kaori and Kagome simultaneously.

She kneeled beside the recovering hanyou and sighed. "Long story short, when I wished you all back to life on the jewel, Midoriko told me that once I'd recollected the shards I would be leaving your time. And I did… but I went back five hundred more years. I spent about three months with your dad and Kaori there, along with Sesshoumaru."

He growled and narrowed his eyes at his still snickering father. "Why didn't you tell me you knew Kagome?"

"I thought this would be more fun?"

"Mattaki, your sense of humor never fails you," Kagome said dryly, giving him a mock glare.

He glared back. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh no! The glare! So scary! Do I get the giggle next?"

He lunged at her and she rolled away, giggling all the way. InuYasha was still growling. "You have a better relationship with my old man than I do."

"Daughters are always treated better than sons," Mattaki retorted, using his knuckles to dig into Kagome's ribs, sending the girl into peals of laughter.

"Daughter? Wait one damned minute. Don't tell me there's some freaky way she's related to me… I kissed her!"

After being released from Mattaki, Kagome glared, blushed, and sighed in succession. "He took care of me while I was back there, we are very close. Not to mention…" she trailed off, looking to Kaori for support.

She youkai knelt beside her and met InuYasha's glare with one of her own. "She is mated to my son, so she is as close to a daughter as we ever got."

"You're _what_?" InuYasha boomed, his eyes flying wide.

"I am mated to Sesshoumaru… assuming he is still alive… assuming any youkai are still alive…" she said sadly, looking at the ground.

"Worry not, child, I am sure he is. He's a resilient boy, though I don't agree with much of what he did over the years. I heard him tell you his excuse for trying to kill you… but gods, I wanted to enter the earthen plane to beat sense into him when he did… in my own tomb, no less! But he is not in Japan, and that is all we can see."

Kagome laid her head on the now-sitting inuyoukai's shoulder. "Thank you for your concern, Mattaki."

He pulled her close and stroked her hair as she looked into InuYasha's burning gaze.

InuYasha just looked flabbergasted. "You fuc-" he was interrupted by the 'sit' and ripped out of the submission spell. "You're with my brother?"

"Yes, and I love him. Please, InuYasha, be happy that I am."

He growled and looked away, "Keh."

Mattaki growled at his youngest. "InuYasha, if not for her, you would never have been born. It was her connection to you that kept Sesshoumaru from slaying your mother while she was pupped."

She extracted herself from Mattaki's grip, letting Kaori go to his side as she went to the hanyou's disgruntled back. She ran a hand over his ear and he leaned back into the touch, his eyes closed. She laid her head on his back and spoke softly. "You don't know him how I do, InuYasha. He really is a good person, and I hope someday you'll see that. I don't think I could have survived without him. After you left me I was so alone…"

He sighed and turned, pulling her to his chest. "I know, wench. Death doesn't stop how I feel, though. That bastard had better treat you right, or I swear I'll kill him."

"How can you kill someone when you're dead?"

"Fine, I'll haunt him, that better?"

"Yes. So, are there still youkai in my time?"

"Of course there are! Shippou is running around somewhere."

"He is? Oh my little boy… I hope I can find him!"

"Keh, he's still just a runt."

She shook her head and gave his ear one last tweak before standing. "What of Sango and Miroku? Or is this a youkai-blood-only kind of get together?"

"They were here for a while… but since the monk left I've been bored. Their souls went on to reincarnate, so they can't be here."

Kagome's eyes brightened for a moment. "So I could find them?"

"They wouldn't be them, Kagome, just like you are not Kikyou," Mattaki said softly.

She nodded. "I know, wishful thinking."

"Besides," InuYasha chimed, "they're about fifty years old, not much fun if you ask me. They'll be back here soon enough, then I'll have someone to screw with again!"

"Back? But if they went on to reincarnate…"

"It's complicated," Mattaki said, he and Kaori moving to sit next to them. "You see, our souls are very complex. In every person's soul, our past lives are imprinted. And so, rather than either punish all lives, that small bit of soul goes to its respective place with each death. There can be multiple aspects of every soul running around."

Kagome blinked rapidly, "That is confusing."

"Yes. But it means that Sango and Miroku will come back, and when you finally join us you won't be stuck in hell because of what Kikyou did, though she will go right back again," InuYasha said gruffly, still tense from revelations. "From what I've heard, my last life was a total douche, but I still get to be here."

Kagome tried to understand this, but nodded slowly and smiled. "Well, I can't say I'm in a rush to die, but at least I know I won't be alone."

Mattaki and Kaori laughed, a golden eye winking conspiratorially. "Now, now, child, I told you many years ago that you would have many waiting for you. And I meant every word of it. Now, you need to go find my son! He is surely going crazy without you."

"Then why hasn't be come?"

Kaori stroked her bangs from her forehead lovingly. "I think I can answer that. It seems that though it was five hundred years between InuYasha's time and ours, it was only four hundred and fifty between then and now. They aren't expecting you for another fifty years, my friend."

Kagome face-palmed without dignity. "That's the only reason why? Damnit all to hell… I shouldn't have assumed it would be exact I guess." She smiled, lighthearted for the first time since her return to modern times. "I'll just have to find him then, right?"

"I would suggest looking for your fox pup first, since we know he is in the country. He spent a lot of time with Sesshoumaru through the years."

"Thank you, all three of you. I miss you guys so much."

"Me too," InuYasha said softly, pulling her to his lap and nuzzling his nose into her hair. "Heaven will only be heaven when you get here."

Kagome blushed but smiled, leaning into the attention. "You are never far from my mind, InuYasha. Someday we'll be together forever, and be able to relive our adventures."

"Of course, wench."

She giggled and smiled over at the two elder inuyoukai, who were smiling softly back. "Kagome, it's time for you to go."

"But why?"

"We will visit again, friend, but night is over for you. You must awaken. Think of us, and we shall come to you again."

"Yes," she said sadly, rising from InuYasha's lap to hug everyone goodbye. In a flash, they were gone, leaving Kagome to stare at her alarm clock in disdain. She growled and heaved herself out of bed and throwing on clothing, but a smile stayed on her face. She had hope again, and now she just had to plan.

Maybe she should put an ad in the paper? Or try and get a spot on the news for her books, like she always avoided. She used a pen name to be left alone, and people only saw her at her book signings. But exposure is what she needed now…something to let her lost friends know she was alive here and now.

Plans still whirring through her head, she heard a knock at the door, and absentmindedly called for whomever it was to come in. No one came this early but Ayumi, and she had her head in the fridge as she hummed, looking for a yogurt to grab for breakfast.

"Ready?" a voice said right behind her, making her jump from its nearness. Ayumi only giggled. "Are you?"

"Class isn't for hours, what is it?"

"Duh, today is the field-trip Professor Kouro was talking about. Don't you remember?"

Kagome blushed. "I wasn't really all there in class. It's today?"

"Yeah, come on! He said it's a ways out of town, so he rented charter buses. He gets so enthused about history… he probably overdid his budget again."

Kagome grinned, her friend almost flinching in surprise at seeing the 'old Kagome' smile. She had no idea why her eyes had suddenly lit once again, or why her smiles brightened the room once more, but she wasn't going to risk it stopping because she asked, so she didn't. She recovered and smiled in return, waiting for her friend to follow her down the elevator to her car.

* * *

Boredom. The bus drove on and on, two hours on. And Kagome sighed, still having no idea where they were going. She turned to Ayumi. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"Wow, you really weren't paying attention in class, were you? It's unlike you to not be rapt to everything the professor says."

"I… have had a lot on my mind," she grumbled, her eyes darting out the window.

"Well, its some old historical village. There's a legend there that it was once the home to a bunch of demon exterminators or something. Kinda like the one in your story, you know?"

Kagome's eyes were wide, and she gulped. "Yeah…kinda like that, I guess…" Her mind was racing. Were they going to _the_ Exterminator's village? Her heart pounded in her chest. Well, they were going north from Tokyo, and it was several hours out of the way. Not that she could really understand the equivalencies between the way she used to travel to it and by vehicle, but it seemed right. Her breathing was labored as her professor stood at the front of the bus.

"All right, students, we're almost there. Remember to pay attention to the legend, I am going to want an essay on this place. I will give specifics when we leave, but for now pay attention to everything!"

Kagome hardly noticed them stop or her own feet moving her off the bus. The walls were the same, though the fallen areas had been replaced at some point. The entrance the same. The atmosphere the same. The area around the village was still rather rural, this far out of the way, and the village itself was rebuilt… but this was it. Sango's hometown.

A tour guide led them along the wall and down beaten dirt paths, obviously unchanged for hundreds of years. Differences stood out like sore thumbs to Kagome, though. Wooden doors on some huts, plastic cases enclosing bits of memorabilia. She listened to the guide as he droned, her heart still thumping frantically.

"It is said that hundred of years ago, this was the home to a tribe of demon slayers. They were slaughtered mercilessly by an evil villain, leaving all but one soul dead. That lone survivor, after enacting revenge, was able to rebuild this village into what it is today, teaching her skills to all those who wished to learn. She took what was but a destroyed place of painful memories and made life stronger for it with her husband."

He continued on but Kagome wasn't listening. The tale was so accurate, though vague. How could such facts have survived history so strongly? Her mind was in a whirl as Ayumi cut through the whirlwind. "Wow, you must have used this myth as the basis for a part of your story, huh? About Sango?"

Kagome flinched hard, her friends eyes growing concerned. "Yeah, that's it," she mumbled, pulling away. "I'm gonna walk around. I'll be back, okay?"

"Kagome?" her friend asked in concern, but she didn't hear as she walked away, intent to be alone with her mind.

It was a slap in the face when she came to the northeast corner of the village, such a shock that she had to force her leaden legs to pull her forward before collapsing to her knees. At the far end of a long row of cordoned off graves were two that stood out amongst the others for the plastic cases at their head.

Kagome scrambled on her hands and knees to be before them, still too far in shock to feel the hot tears streaming down her face. A sob left her throat that didn't sound anything like herself, and she ducked under the fence to crawl toward them, her hands resting on either side of her.

Slightly to her left on the wall, in a small plastic box, sat a tarnished gold hoop, with small rings adorning it. It had been a common item in those days, a top to a holy staff (the rest of the staff would have long since deteriorated), but it was what was on the right that confirmed it all. On the right side was a larger enclosure holding what was undeniably Hiraikotsu, in all its glory. The leather straps looked brittle, but the bone was as pristine as ever. Kagome sobbed harder.

She stayed kneeled between her friends' graves for a long time, weeping silently. Of course they were dead, they had been dead for hundreds of years, but to know it? To sit at their graves? It was too much.

"S-S-Sango…Mirok-ku…oh gods, I miss you!" she choked out, shaking her head. "Why couldn't I have stayed with you? Why did I have to go? Damn Midoriko, damn fate, and damn time! I _hate it_!" she screamed, pressing her forehead into the dirt. "I hate it."

"Kagome?" Ayumi's voice called tentatively. She head her friend scream, and rounded the corner to find her on her hands and knees, kowtowing in the dirt between two ancient graves. She was worried for her friend's health.

The girl spun, her eyes wild and face red, tears still rolling down her cheeks. "Just leave me alone," she said in a cracked voice.

"Kagome, I don't understand…"

"_They're dead_!" she yelled, her body shaking. "I've always known they would be, but it hurts so much!" she wailed, talking to herself as much as she was talking to Ayumi.

"Who? What are you talking about, Kagome?" Ayumi was really worried now.

"Sango and Miroku!" she said, flailing her arms. "Damnit, I should have stayed with them… this isn't fair…"

"Ka-Kagome… Sango and Miroku aren't real. They are characters from your book…" Ayumi pulled her friend out of the fenced area and stood her up. "I think you need to see a doctor…"

"Shut up!" All the years of bottling up her pain, she had never really grieved. Why grieve for someone who died hundreds of years prior? Now, in her near hysteria, she saw her folly.

Ayumi held her friend, anxious over her demeanor. She was grieving fictional characters of her own creation? What in the hell was going on?

"Miss?" a man's voice called. "Is there a problem?"

She turned to the voice, and blinked several times. His hair was short and messy, a dark shade of brown. He didn't look much older than them, but she could tell by his suit that he wasn't just another tourist. His face was half hidden behind sunglasses, but Ayumi was desperate.

"My friend… she's hysterical all of a sudden…"

Kagome's sobs were calming and she looked up at the prying man. To Ayumi, it seemed like he'd seen a ghost. He took a tentative step forward, pale and shaking. "Kagome?"


	40. Reminiscence

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

**

* * *

**

**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 40 - Reminiscence_

* * *

He had the girl's full attention now, Ayumi forgotten. She turned to look at him, her face stained with tears as the man approached her. Something in her screamed familiarity, but she couldn't place it. She was afraid to.

His chin quivered, and Kagome quickly found herself tackled to the ground, and neither heard Ayumi's protests. Kagome was stunned but stared up as dark sunglasses were thrown off to reveal brilliant green eyes and a wide smile split the man's face. "Oh, Momma!"

Kagome blinked rapidly up at the seemingly innocuous man that had her in a vice grip on the ground, her mind trying to put all the pieces together. His appearance was rather every-day, but his eyes… looking into his eyes there was only one explanation. "Shi-Shippou?"

"Kagome!" he said with a cracking voice, and buried his face in her neck.

Kagome's sobs began anew, but this time it was not in sadness or pain. This was pure love, happiness radiating off of her in waves, Ayumi still standing dumbstruck on the sidelines. Thank goodness that this part of the village was so out of the way, because it would surely be thought strange to see a fully grown man holding a woman on the dirt ground as she wept.

"My baby, oh sweetheart," she cried. "Look at you! You're huge! Oh, I missed you, Shippou."

"How are you here? It hasn't been long enough!"

"I know, I never knew for sure how long it was in between, I just assumed. I guess I was wrong."

"Oh Momma, there's so much I have to tell you! You're a several times over great grandmother… you have to meet my pups! Oh jeez, this is going to be one hell of a party…"

Kagome laughed, only slightly hysterically now. "Gods, I'm a grandma! I've missed so much, tell me it all!"

"I can't Momma, as much as I want to. Can I come to your place tonight? I'll be happy to tell you everything. It's such a huge story…"

"That many years will do that."

"Yes… oh gods, you're back! Wait until I tell everyone! Oh, oh no. Sesshoumaru-papa…"

"He's alive, right?" Kagome said, finally pushing the fox youkai off of her and bolting upright, trying not to let her mind wander to the insane giggles threatening her to hear him call Sesshoumaru 'Papa'.

"Yes, Momma. Of course. But… I'm not sure how to get a hold of him…"

Kagome shook, but was deliriously happy at the confirmation of her love's life. Her grin split her face and she dug into her nearly forgotten purse, pulling out a pen and paper, "Here's my address, come tonight anytime. I doubt I'll be sleeping."

"Of course." He grabbed her and swooped her into his arms, crushing her against him. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, sweetheart," she said, a few more tears escaping her eyes.

"Gotta go for now, but I'll be there this evening."

Without another word, the fox took off running and just for a moment Kagome swore she saw a glimpse of auburn hair and a fluffy tail. Kagome brushed herself off and tried to scrub the tears from her face, but found they wouldn't stop. She laughed, the tears falling freely and danced in a little circle.

Ayumi didn't know what was going on, but she intended to get answers. For years she hadn't pushed, but this was just too much. She had been reeling so hard from hearing the man call her young friend 'Momma' that she had only absorbed part of their conversation. Like the part about the man going to Kagome's house that evening. In her friend's current state of mind, she didn't think it was such a good idea.

"K…Kagome?" Ayumi broke through.

Kagome stopped frozen in her tracks, gaping at the ground. Ayumi had been there the entire time. She tried frantically to come off with an explanation. Maybe playing it off? "Yes, Ayumi?" she said brightly, turning to face her friend.

The look on the girl's face told Kagome she would not be playing this off. "Kagome, what in the hell is going on? I'm sorry to push, but I have to know or I am going to take you to the doctor! That man looked at least our age, but he was calling you mother and you didn't scream bloody murder? What the hell is going on?"

Kagome sighed and shook her head, closing her eyes tightly. "Ayumi…this is a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere. I haven't in this long, have I?"

A small smile surfaced, though her eyes stayed tightly shut. "For the rest of today, promise me you will try to believe everything I tell you. I have proof at home, and when Shippou comes tonight, he will be able to prove more than a photo album ever could. But please, promise me you are not going to freak out and call the police or a mental institution?"

Ayumi was hesitant to enter into any agreement, but she trusted Kagome, no matter how off-kilter she was at the moment. "All right. Just tonight though, okay? I'm really worried."

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and opened her eyes, the usual dark blue almost cerulean in her joy. "I'll explain everything when we get home, but for now…" She laughed merrily. "I've always wanted to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"You know my books, Ayumi?"

"Of course! I read them long before anyone else!"

"Yes. Well… they aren't fiction."

Ayumi forced a laugh. "That's funny, Kagome. Of course they are!"

"Ayumi, remember about trying to believe me? My books, down to nearly every detail… was my life. When I was missing all that school? Those were my adventures. Please, the busses are going to leave us, can we talk about this at home?"

Ayumi was pale as a sheet now, but nodded somewhat mechanically. Her mind didn't want to believe it… but Kagome said she had proof? And she _had_ promised to not freak out and call anyone until the night was over…

So instead, she waited for her friend to mutter a few words to the ancient graves and followed dazedly after her, mind whirling endlessly.

* * *

Finally back in Kagome's apartment, Ayumi seemed to remember her voice. "Okay, you're going to have to start at the beginning…"

"Why? You know everything! Sure, not every single day, but you know every huge event of my life in those years, what is there to explain? The books are real, Ayumi."

"But, how?"

"At my mother's shrine, there is a well. That well was the portal between here and the Feudal Era. Just like in the story. InuYasha was real, Sango and Miroku were real, and Shippou…well, you saw him today."

"That man?"

"My baby grew up," she said softly, her eyes bright with repressed tears.

"This is a lot to try to understand, Kagome…"

"Yes, I know it is. But please, give me a chance?"

The next hours were spent in photo albums, with Kagome showing her friend all of the characters she had read about. Ayumi seemed to be slowly understanding, coming to terms with the idea of such a fantastic tale. Kagome passionately spoke about her friends, her family in its own way, and her love. Sesshoumaru. She spent many tears telling her how hard it had been to miss him, to not know if he had survived.

It was nearly sunset when the doorbell rang, and Kagome dashed across the living room to answer, grinning at the tousled dark head in front of her, two large and tempting-smelling pizzas in his arms. "I brought grub, hope you're hungry!"

Kagome blinked several times, "You brought two pizzas for only us?"

"I grew up around InuYasha, remember?"

This startled a laugh, her eyes sparkling like they hadn't in months. She hugged the youkai around the pizzas and led him in, motioning to her friend. "This is Ayumi, Shippou."

He looked only mildly disconcerted. "Hi!" he said jovially.

Kagome looked at him pensively, circling him like she was appraising him. "You're too skinny."

"Mo… err… Kagome…" he recovered sheepishly.

"She knows, don't correct yourself."

This made him choke. "Eh?"

Kagome smiled and trotted to her bookshelf, pulling out the four published books in her series and plopping them into his dumbstruck arms. "You know most of this, but you might have fun reliving it. I've been writing these for three years, several top-sellers, you know."

Her adopted son looked down at the books in his grasp incredulously. "_You_ wrote these? I remember laughing with Kagura about how silly the idea sounded…"

Kagome scowled. "Hey, damnit! You know it's all true!"

A roguish grin split his still-boyish features. "How should I know? I'll have to read and see how close to the truth you made it. I better be the most amazing and powerful fighter… one look at me and Naraku went poof!"

"Oh, of course! My brilliant protector!"

Both burst into giggles, and Shippou set down the books and pulled her once more into his arms. "I missed you so much, Kagome. I can't count how many times I've just droned on to one of my kids or grandkids about you, our adventures…"

"Where is your tail?" Kagome fairly burst out, unable to wait anymore.

Shippou stopped and blinked, then giggled at her. "That is the most important thing to you?"

"Yes! Where is your tail, and are you dying your hair?"

"No Kagome-mama, it's an illusion spell. Fox youkai, remember?"

He stepped back, an Ayumi watched with bated breath. Kagome was really telling the truth unless this man was an insane as she was. His lips moved without sound and in a barely seen flash of light, stood the same man, but different. Pupils now slits, dark hair a bright auburn, a long twitching appendage protruding from his rear, and when he grinned towards her with a conspiratorial wink, fangs were obvious.

"Now that's better! Gods, do you know how good it feels to see a youkai after all this time? Until last night, I thought you were all gone!"

"Last night? Don't you mean this afternoon?" Shippou asked, his head canting to the side just a little.

"No, last night. I had InuYasha pop into my dreamtime for the first time since… well… you know."

"How is he?"

"Good," she grinned. "Bored and a little pissy that no one informed him about Sesshoumaru and me."

"You mean he didn't know?"

She giggled, "Nope, his father thought it would be funny to not tell him until he heard it from me… and sit him for his reaction."

"You can still 'sit' him in death?"

"You bet!"

Another round of laughter later, all three were on the couch munching pizza. Ayumi remained a silent observer; this wasn't her conversation but damned if she would leave now. Kagome sighed and turned to the illusionless fox youkai, her eyes smiling. "So, you have children? Who is your mate? When can I meet her? How many children and grandchildren?"

She would have kept going, but she saw the flash of pain that crossed his eyes, and he set down his slice of food silently, looking over her head at the ceiling. The look on his face was calm and straight, and reminded her a hell of a lot of Sesshoumaru. She shivered, but only at the difference in personality. "Shippou?"

"I have to start from the beginning. You're not going to like some of this…"

"It's all right," she cut in. "I don't care, I want to know."

"Well, you know I went to live with Sango and Miroku after you left the last time, right? I knew they wouldn't live forever, so I thought I should spend as much time as I could with them. You were gone for years, InuYasha was dead, and I liked the castle but I needed familiarity. So, I went to them and learned a lot. I was a lot closer to my first century than any of us thought, and it only took about seven years before I looked like I was in my late teens. I had gone out for a job, my first one by myself… and when I came back…

"I couldn't save them. The youkai were overrunning the walls, to this day we don't know why. I helped fight them off, but by the time the battle was over, Miroku was gone and Sango was close to it."

Kagome bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, her eyes stuck on the emerald ones of her son as he continued. "She said… she told me to tell you she missed you, and that we'd all be together again someday. She told me to be strong enough to reach you, so that I could keep you safe. She went peacefully, to be with Miroku."

Tears fall down all three people's cheeks now, though Ayumi didn't know why it affected her so deeply. She silently cried and watched the pair embrace. Kagome finally steadied herself and nodded, signaling him to go on with his story. He breathed deeply. "Well, after that I went back to Sesshoumaru. He was doing pretty shitty without you, but he didn't let it show. Rin and I could read it in his eyes, though. Gods know why, but he started telling us we could call him father. Rin did, but I just used Sesshoumaru-papa. It was the most hilarious thing when one of us would slip and say it in front of a servant or visiting noble…

"Well, by the time I got there, we were both grown up, and I can't tell you how it happened, but within a year Rin and I ended up mated."

Kagome choked on the soda she was drinking, setting the cup on the coffee table. "You and Rin?"

He grinned. "Yes. Sesshoumaru was wary to give her away, but we were in love and he's just a softie at heart."

Kagome snickered before sobering. "Go on, hun. I know there's more."

"Of course. Well, Sesshoumaru and I ended up going on a journey together. He had heard about an herb that supposedly extended life, and went out to find it. Sesshoumaru, of course, was thinking of you as well as Rin, and I was thinking of extending my mate's and mother's lives. It took us two years, but we found where it grew. It was a bitch to find."

"Rin is still alive, then?" Kagome rushed out excitedly, before seeing the pain once again in Shippou's eyes.

"I lost her about a century and a quarter ago. The herb worked… but after a while her body just failed her. There wasn't time to find the herb again, within a couple of months she had aged twenty years externally and even more inside. We had seven pups by then, two of which look just like her. They all know all about you, Kagome. Don't be sad for Rin, she lived a good, long life. A lot longer than she thought she would, and she was happy to spend it with Sesshoumaru and me."

Kagome sighed heavily and nodded. "I just got my hopes up that she would still be here. But I get to meet your children, right?"

"Of course! Actually, I have kinda ironic news on that note…"

"Yeah?"

"It's actually hilarious if you ask me… I can't wait to tell Sesshoumaru. He'll laugh… yeah, he does laugh sometimes. Rarely, but he does. But this… it's rich. Totally priceless."

"Spit it out already!"

A crooked smirk appeared and he looked her up and down, making her blink rapidly. "You're actually one of _my _descendants."

Kagome choked. "'Scuze me?"

"My second son, Ryoku, took a human mate, making their children quarter youkai. His oldest daughter was impregnated by a human, making their child an eighth. It went on like that, until your dad. Funny how this fate stuff works, huh?"

Kagome couldn't answer, just blinked stupidly at him. So… Rin and Shippou were her great-great-greatgreatgreat grandparents. Small world? She thought not. Shippou was right, fate was funny. Her laughter was immediate and boisterous, falling over into her ancestor/son. Her voice was hiccuping. "Hey, we should go on an American talk show. 'My mother is my great-great-granddaughter!'"

Ayumi coughed a little, calling the other two to finally blink in surprise and remember she was there. She blushed and smiled. "I'm sorry to interrupt you guys… but I think I need to go home and get some sleep. This is a lot to ingest…"

"Yes, it is," Kagome said. "Imagine living it. Call me tomorrow?"

"Of course, goodnight, Kagome. Nice to meet you, Shippou."

The fox grinned. "It's good to meet you too. Hope to talk again sometime."

As the girl left, Kagome collapsed against Shippou's shoulder. "I hope she realizes I'm not crazy now."

"Hmm, I wouldn't go that far, Momma," he giggled, pulling the younger woman close to him, sighing in content. "But I am so glad to have you here again. It's been so long. I've had so many adventures. Nothing compares to going against Naraku though. It may have been ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday."

Kagome laughed wryly. "For me it practically was. I can still close my eyes and see it. I walk through this city and want to laugh at the things people find exciting or wonderful. I wish everyday I could have just lived out my life there."

"You'll love Iwaku Isle then."

"Iwaku? I've never heard of it."

"Sesshoumaru bought a smallish southern island about a century ago, right before he left. It's a haven for youkai. You'd be one of the only humans ever to be allowed there other than Rin. It has a large city there of youkai, free to roam in their natural forms, or in their humanoid ones without illusions. It's very natural and an escape for all of us. I know you'd be allowed, since you are the Lady of the West."

Kagome smiled and sighed quietly. "I can't wait. Where is Sesshoumaru, Shippou? Why isn't he here? I know I'm not yet expected, but…"

"He had to, Kagome. The government is fully aware of us all and provide us with new birth certificates every fifty years or so, but if your life was eventful then you have to leave for a while. Sesshoumaru has never really had a problem with that, because he's so low-profile… but the last twenty years were good enough to him that he gained notice, so he had to get out for a bit."

"What did he do to get noticed?"

Shippou snickered. "Were you fully aware of that that book you have him contained?"

"Umm, history?"

"Did you read it?"

"No…" Kagome said slowly.

"Well, it highlighted an awful lot on stock-trading… and let's just say it gave us good hints on what to buy in on. We've all made quite a savings because of that book, but Sesshoumaru especially. We never really needed jobs anyway, but that gave us an extra boost."

"Wow. Well, I'm glad it worked out well for you guys. So you don't work?"

"Not really. I go back to school in every life to understand more that has been discovered, though. I specialize in biology and chemistry. I don't do much other than collecting 'relics' and working with museums. I am the main backer for the Demon Exterminator's village; that's why I was there today."

"Wow, I'm proud of you," Kagome said, trying to hide her wide yawn. It was nearly midnight by now, and leaning against the boy was very comforting on several levels.

"If you're tired, you should sleep, Kagome," he said softly, toying with her hair. "Now that I'm here, you won't get any peace from me. And don't worry, I'll set the chain of contact to get word to Sesshoumaru first thing tomorrow. Just sleep."

Kagome nodded blearily and vaguely felt herself being lifted before falling deeply in the darkness of sleep… except this time, the darkness wasn't dark at all… it was gold.


	41. Transcendence

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

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* * *

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 41 - Transcendence_

* * *

"Kagome," a voice called. She floated in the darkness, trying to ignore the pull to consciousness. Her dream was so nice… "Kagome! We're going to be late for class! C'mon!"

"Nggh," she moaned, turning her face from the afternoon light and yanking the blanket over her head.

"Kagome, come onnnn," Ayumi screeched, yanking on the blanket. Some mornings, her friend was absolutely hopeless. Finally succeeding in ripping the blanket away she tapped a foot at the little ball of human that laid on the bed in her clothes from the day before. "If you don't get up, I'll use all your ice cubes to make ice water to throw on you."

The dark haired girl shot up from her spot and glared at her friend. "You wouldn't."

"Wanna bet?"

Another moan and Kagome was up and poking around her room. Ayumi left her to her own devices and went about preparing a quick breakfast for the other girl, listening to the shower turn on. She was still a bit in shock from all the revelations of a few days prior, and had left Kagome alone while she sorted through her own thoughts on the matter.

In one day she had had to discard everything she thought she knew about history and present times. Not only did youkai exist in history, but they were alive today. People she bumped into on the sidewalk, friends, co-workers… could be demons in disguise. It was a strange feeling, and left her second guessing pretty much everything she knew.

She had always loved Kagome's books because of the unreality of them. To hear of a magical world with demons, life threatening situations, sword fighting, and heroic men… it was like a beautiful dream. She had always imagined herself in Kiyoi's place as she fell in love not once but twice, battled evil, and protected her friends… and now she had to deal with the fact that Kiyoi was Kagome. She was not a fictional being made by her friend's mind… she _was_ her. The name meant clear or pure… she thought it a good pseudonym.

Kagome was the reincarnation of some priestess from days past. Kagome had fallen through a well into Japanese history and saved the world. Kagome had known InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, and all the rest of her characters. It was not a game, it was not a fantasy… it had been her friends' reality.

It made so much more sense, the pain her friend had been going through these last years. She had lost her own surrogate family in one fell swoop, including the man she loved and was bonded to in a way Ayumi couldn't comprehend. Her tears beside the ancient graves, her fits against others in their classes over the existence of youkai in history. It all made so much more sense now.

"Alright, I'm ready," Kagome mumbled from the bedroom door, toweling her hair with one hand and still looking half asleep.

"How late did you stay up?"

"I don't remember, but it was late. I haven't seen Shippou since the other day, and we're going out to dinner tonight. I was thinking about what else I need to ask him. What else I need to know."

Ayumi nodded and stuck the quickly prepared breakfast out for her friend. "Eat, we have to go. Professor Kouro would be very disappointed in you if you don't show for class."

"Shit!" Kagome swore uncharacteristically, stabbing her food with a scowl. "I never talked to him about writing on a different subject for that report."

"Why can't you write on the legend of the village?"

Kagome was quiet, her chopsticks pushing food along her plate with a sad smile. "I… cant write about them like they're gone. I could write about their adventures; I could write about Sango's quest for Naraku. I can't write about them like some nameless dead figures. Because to me, they're not. To me, it was less than four years ago that I spent in that village when it was alive, sitting with Sango in her hut and going to the hot springs. It was not much longer ago than that that all of us were journeying together, risking life and limb to stop Naraku. I can't… I can't write a report about them without my feelings showing through."

Ayumi smiled sadly and took her friend's hand. "I understand. It would be hard, and I even had a hard time with the report just _knowing_ they were real people."

Kagome smiled up at her long time friend, grabbing her for a hug. "Thank you Ayumi… for understanding, for putting up with my moods these last few years. I wouldn't have gotten through these last few years without you."

"How could I not understand? You know how much I put myself in Kiyoi's shoes… all I had to do was wrap my mind around _you_ being her and it wasn't so hard from there. It's still a bit strange to imagine youkai, but after meeting Shippou… I can't deny it, can I?"

Kagome nodded, then turned bright eyes on her friend. "Hey, in the next few weeks, Shippou wants to take me to some island - I guess Sesshou owns it - that is full of youkai. I mean, not like scary ones, I mean youkai like Shippou and others. Would you come with me when we go?"

Ayumi fidgeted. "I dunno, Kags. I mean, if it's a youkai island, who's to say I'd be allowed? From your stories, they don't really take so kindly to humans…"

Kagome shook her head emphatically. "For one thing, that was a long time ago. Things change, and for them to have survived in this age, they have to be willing to put up with humans. For another thing, you'll be with me, no one will harm you."

"How can you be so sure?"

Kagome smirked and pushed away from the table. "For one thing, I am the 'long-lost' Lady of the West, mate to the most powerful and feared youkai in history. I doubt anyone ever surpassed Sesshoumaru on the power meter."

Ayumi blinked. "So, that really means something to them, then?"

"Well, yeah!" she said, grabbing her backpack and tossing books into it. "Imagine being escorted by a queen. In youkai society, as much as I hate it, I am. But, if all else fails…" Kagome grinned and held up a hand, violet light sparking around it. "I'm sure none have forgotten how much purity burns hurt, though its been a few centuries since miko were powerful."

Her face in an 'o', Ayumi ran to Kagome side and poked a finger at the purple light emanating from her friend's hand. It was warm. She giggled. "That is _so_ cool. I wish I could do that."

Kagome snickered and lowered her hand, slinging her pack over her shoulder. "Well, shall we get going?"

"Alright, then."

* * *

"Higurashi, I would like to speak to you," her teacher called from his spot at the head of the class. Kagome left her bag at her desk as the other students began to file out of the lecture hall, waiting until the stream of students had passed before walking town the stairs to where the older man sat. His half-glasses were perched on his balding head and he wore a calm smile; she smiled at him and took a seat across from him at his desk.

"Professor Kouro-"

"Kagome, class is out. You've been taking my class for a year and a half and even slip and call me by my first name in front of other students. Why, when you're apologizing, do you use formality again?"

Kagome smiled wryly. "Shin, I'm sorry I didn't complete the homework."

"I am rather disappointed, I always look forward to your reports. I thought this assignment would get you writing, especially since the same legend was used in your books."

Kagome cringed. "Well… I…"

"I have been teaching this class for twenty years now, and I had never had a student as devoted as you. Even in my generation, believing in youkai is 'silly'. I have never known someone your age to be so adamant… you know that if there was a reason for your reluctance I would not discard it."

Her mind raced. If anyone would believe her, it would be Shin Kouro; she had almost told him a dozen times as it was. But, she had always held back. Her own depression coupled with lack of real knowledge always held her hand, keeping her from disclosing the truth… but Ayumi knew. Would it really be so bad?

She smiled at him, and knew. Even if he believed her crazy, he wouldn't tell a soul. He was a good man, and something… something about him made him easy to trust. Not to mention that she had a sneaking suspicion he already suspected. Her smile grew wider. "Do you just want me to confirm your own beliefs, or are you being nice?"

The older man grinned lopsidedly. "You were always too clever."

"Then I will do so. My reluctance was founded… I just can't write about that village. It's complicated-"

"Does it have to do with Miroku and Sango?"

Her head darted up and met with a benevolent smile which made her smile back. "You really have this all figured out already, don't you?"

"As with all people, I merely had a hypothesis. I needed to hear it from you before I would know, though."

Her voice was hushed. "Yes, it is because of Miroku and Sango. I can't write about them like some faceless people."

"Then, I will give you until next class to complete the assignment. Write about them, if you wish to… though their names were 'lost in history', I have a friend who knew them. Perhaps you know him as well?"

"K-knew them? Who?" she squeaked out, blinking at her teacher.

"Don't look at me like I've gone crazy, silly girl. For one who's traveled through time, you certainly are disbelieving."

She snorted. "But the only person that could be alive today that knew them is my Shippou."

"Yes, that would be him. I've known him since I was starting college, and after about twenty years I noticed his lack of aging. He told me the truth about himself quite some time ago. I take it he's the same from your stories as well?"

"Well, yeah…" she pursed her lips. "That's just weird. Ya know, you could have told me you knew him when I first began taking your classes."

"How was I to know for sure? I only realized he knew the Exterminators last week when I was looking into taking a trip there with the class. I told him he should meet one of my students, which is why he was there in the first place."

Kagome's smile broadened. "Thank you, Shin. I could never thank you enough for that."

"Don't even think about it. I was happy to help. It does me good to be able to prove my hypothesis right. It's also rewarding to see such a beautiful young lady really smile again… when she isn't off in her own world."

"Thank you. It is good to add another person who can understand me. I went so long with no one."

"You can come to me any time. Now, I do believe there is someone waiting for you."

She looked around and saw no one, but after a moment she felt the small tingle she associated with detecting youki. It was just a little, but it seemed a purposeful release, as if alerting her to their position. She knew it was Shippou, and smiled, then frowned. "How did you know?"

"Something in my genes, I guess. Spiritual power is not gone, just forgotten. You should know that."

She smiled and stood, reaching out to shake the older man's hand. "See you next week, Professor."

"That you will. Have a good time with your son, Kagome."

"Mm," she nodded, running up the stairs to her bag before breezing out the door. Shin smiled after her and pulled a stack of yet ungraded papers to him. That talk had gone better than he imagined. Violet eyes shone through his spectacles as he flipped the pages.

* * *

"Kagome-mama!" Shippou called as she turned the corner, her eyes alighting on him immediately. He wore slacks and a button down shirt, though the sleeves were rolled up and it was untucked. She grinned and ran to him, the two hugging affectionately. "Took ya long enough. I was bored."

"With all the years you've lived, your patience is so short? I couldn't have been talking to Shin for more than half an hour."

"I know, but like I said, InuYasha really did rub off on me," the fox grinned, winking at his mother as he pulled her to his car.

"You were around InuYasha for four years in your how many century-long life?"

He grinned mischievously. "Well, yeah, but he left an impression!"

She laughed and linked her arm through his as they walked. "Where are you taking me, anyway?"

"Just out for an early dinner. I know someone who would like to say hello to you."

"Who?" she squealed, yanking his arm hard enough to make him wince.

"Ow! That hurts, ya know."

"Sorry, but who?"

"Can't you just wait and see? Jeez…"

"Shippou!" she growled out, narrowing her eyes.

" Kagome, you're scaring me! Fine, fine, Kagura owns the restaurant. Come on, now, we have reservations."

Kagome squealed. "Really? Wow!"

"She doesn't know you're coming. I haven't told anyone yet, so it'll be a surprise." He let go of her and jumped into his car, which happened to be a red convertible. Kagome giggled girlishly over it and hopped over the door instead of using it - it had looked like fun. Shippou laughed at her and left the parking lot.

"Why do you want to surprise them so badly?"

"Well, duh! More fun, Kagome! Next week I'm throwing a dinner party with a few old friends, and only my kids know you're attending. Then, the week after, I've already reserved the jet to Iwaku so we can go surprise Kouga. It'll be great, right? And, with all this exposure, Sesshoumaru is sure to hear about it within a month or two. I am pretty sure he checks in on Iwaku regularly to make sure everything is running smoothly."

Kagome glowed. "Thank you, Shippou. For everything."

"'Course, Kagome. Anything for my favorite mother."

"Are you insinuating you've replaced me over the years?"

The youkai giggled as he stopped at a red light. "Never even tried. No one could compare to you anyway. How many youkai can say their mother is a time traveling human who happens to be one of the most well-known miko of all time and Lady of the West?"

Kagome gave him a deadpan look. "Thanks. I think. Bragging rights?"

Again he laughed, not looking away from the road as he grabbed her hand. "Oh, you know I was joking."

"Yes, I do. Brat."

A comfortable silence followed, Kagome still holding the man's hand. It was so strange, to refer to him as a man even in her head. Sure, she knew that even back then he had been several times her age… but he had still been a child. Now, as she peered at him from the corner of her eye, she could hardly believe it was the same boy. He now looked her age or older, but his carefree and playful personality seemed to have remained. She hoped it always would, no matter the problems he faced.

When he parked the car, it was not at a restaurant at all, but in front of a strip of stores. She quirked an eyebrow at the kitsune, who smiled. "We can't go in looking like this. Old friends or not, there's a dress code. So, I am treating my mother to a nice dress. My suit top is in the back, so I'll be fine."

"You don't need to-"

"Shh!" he chided, waving his arms. "Stop that. I'm buying you a nice dress for dinner tonight, and that's final. Go, woman, and pick something! Our reservations are in half an hour, so make it snappy!" he teased, pointing to his wrist where a watch would be.

She scowled playfully but laughed as she ran into the store they had parked in front of, the youkai following behind her more sedately. After twenty minutes of cooing over several dresses, Shippou once again reminded her of the time and made her choose, and so she did. She wore a long burgundy halter dress, not too low cut, and she loved it. She grinned as the clerk rang her up and she left the store in it, twirling on her new heels he had bought as well. "Thank you, Shippou!"

"Anything for you, Kagome. It's only a few blocks to Kagura's, so let's hurry."

They hopped back into the car and pulled out, but not before Shippou had pulled out and donned the jacket to his suit and tucked in his shirt. He had no tie, he told her he hated them, but he knew Kagura would be too distracted with her to care that he was 'breaking policy.'

She awed at the restaurant. She had read about it often enough, it was one of the most prestigious and _expensive_ in Tokyo. The type of place celebrities and officials frequented. She blushed over at Shippou. "Wow, we're going here?"

"I told ya, Kagura owns it. She always did shoot for the best, ya know?"

She giggled and followed him in, admiring a painting on the wall in the lobby as Shippou got Kagura to come out. It was a beautiful scene of a forest glade, the likes of which didn't exist in this time period. She smiled sadly and held herself back from tracing the painting with her finger.

A certain magenta-eyed witch swooped into the room unbeknownst to Kagome, huffing at the fox she found. The only concealments she wore were to hide her ears and fangs and let everyone believe she wore contacts to make her eyes so vibrant. She smirked at the younger youkai. "So, what's so important you had to call me out here, kid? That you actually have a date? I'm a busy woman and I'm really not…" she trailed off as his 'date' turned and smiled, tears forming in the woman's blue eyes.

"K-Kagome?" she squealed, throwing her aristocratic air out the window and ignoring that there were other patrons in the room. She embraced the priestess and laughed. "What are you doing here? You aren't due to be here yet!"

"I guess the years weren't as even as I thought," she said vaguely, still aware of their audience.

"Oh man, it's good to see you again! It's been too long," she said meaningfully, pulling back to look into her eyes. "Come on, let's get you two situated at my best table, hmm? Hope you don't mind, kiddo, but I'm joining you guys," she said to Shippou, who just smiled.

"Why else would I bring her here? I've known you long enough to know what you would do, Adeyaka."

"That you do, Mister Kouchi," the wind witch laughed, motioning for them to follow.

"Those are our names this life, by the way," Shippou mumbled to her, and she nodded. She could have figured as much. 'Fascinatingly elegant' and 'cunning', indeed. Kagome was grinning as she followed, lighthearted in her steps. Yet another friend to add on, another person who had lived through the years. It was like she was walking on air, and things could only get better.


	42. Eternity

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

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* * *

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 42 - Eternity_

* * *

Tea was served to the trio, and Kagome smiled into her cup. It felt so… strange to be sitting in a modern restaurant, listening to strains of music over the hidden speakers, while having a conversation with a grown Shippou and Kagura. Two phases of her life had collided violently, but Kagome was far from complaining over it. She simply smiled as she listened to the banter between her friends, obvious the two had been through a lot in the years between then and now.

"Oh, shut up kid, you don't know anything. I had nothing whatsoever to do with that!"

Shippou snorted, "Sure you didn't. It had your name written all over it! I mean, do you expect me to believe it was just coincidence?"

Kagura scowled at the fox and turned up her nose. "Can't you just forget about it? It was two centuries ago, stupid."

"I'll forget it when you admit it."

Kagome giggled, breaking the playful argument. Kagura cocked an eyebrow at the younger woman. "And what, pray tell, is so funny?"

"You guys. This all feels surreal to me."

"I suppose it would," Kagura drawled, lifting her tea to her lips.

"Alright, well, to get business out of the way, Kagura, when was the last time you heard from Sesshoumaru?" Shippou asked.

Kagura raised an eyebrow. "Before he left. I doubt anyone has heard from him since. He doesn't want to be found. For a six foot man with silver hair, he has surprising blending abilities."

"Shit," Shippou grumbled. "Well, you were his adviser, didn't you _advise_ him not to leave?"

"I couldn't talk that stubborn ass out of something if I tried, kiddo. You know that. Besides… he needed the break. From everything."

Kagome had stayed silent, her eyes closed sadly, but she finally spoke up. "Why did he leave?"

Kagura leaned back in her seat, eyeing her friend. "He needed to get away. Things in the last hundred or two years have changed how we live even more than the gradual changes had. It's like evolution sped up. He wasn't dealing very well with having to hide himself, or no longer being the unquestionable ruler of the lands. People believed us legends and he was no longer feared. He adjusted, like we all did… but it took its toll on him."

"When do you think he'll be back?" Kagome kept her eyes trained on her tea.

"Honestly?" Kagura said softly, cutting her eyes away from the other woman. "In forty-some years. He didn't want to be around with you growing up, your problems with InuYasha… he didn't want to risk losing control and not being able to leave you alone. "

Kagome's chin quivered. "Why can't he be found?"

"Because he doesn't want to be," Shippou cut in. "He left us all with no way to contact him because he didn't want to be bothered. You know him as well as any of us, Kagome. He values his privacy. But hey, like I said, I am sure he keeps in touch with Kouga, who runs Iwaku for him. So, when we go out there, we'll leave a message for him."

Kagome balled her fists. "But when if he doesn't? What if he doesn't come back for fifty years? I'll be an old hag by then! And, what if something's happened to him? Powerful as Sesshoumaru is, a gun can kill anyone. It only takes a lucky shot. What in the hell do you want me to do?"

Kagura shushed her. "Calm down. As his mate, you would know without a doubt if he was not alive, don't worry. As for time..." She sent a glare at Shippou. "You haven't told her yet?"

Shippou looked sheepish and fiddled with his fingers. "I was waiting for a good time. It's not exactly everyday conversation."

Kagome straightened and wiped away tears that hadn't fallen. A curious eye went to her son. "What?"

"Y'see," he said, smiling genuinely over the table at her. "I told you I did a lot of work in science, right? It's been… my specialty I guess."

"I think its funny that a 'mythological creature' enjoys something that has 'proven' his lack of existence."

"Heh, I know. But science has its strengths. Anyway, you know the herb Rin used? I have been working for a couple centuries on improving it. It's died out by now, but I had gotten a few extra in the first place. I've made a tonic that will extend a humans life a hundred fold… and I think I have perfected it so that what happened to my Rin won't happen again," he added softly, staring at his hands.

"Shippou…" Kagome said, reaching over to tuck a stray lock of hair behind his deceivingly rounded ear. "I appreciate the thought, but I can't."

Kagura's eyebrows shot up. "Why not?"

"Because. For one thing, I am not willing to spend an eternity without him. If he's okay now… who's to say he still will be by the time he decides to come back? What if something happened to him before he knew I was alive here and now?"

"You're being silly, Kagome," Kagura groused.

"That isn't all, Kagura. Can you tell me with certainty that he hasn't found someone else?"

The wind witch opened her mouth to retort, but closed it again, her eyes darting to the tablecloth.

"See? You can't. No one can, because no one has seen him in years, and anything could or can happen."

Shippou shook his head hard. "No, mom, you're being paranoid. I know Sesshoumaru better than most people, and he has been doing nothing but waiting for you in these centuries. He wouldn't just give up when time was almost over."

"Whatever the case, Shippou, I cannot and will not do anything like extend my life until he is back. I would rather die never seeing him than live forever knowing I made a mistake."

Kagura nodded slightly in understanding, and Shippou looked to be biting his tongue in frustration. Kagome shook her head at him and sighed, fishing for a new topic of conversation. "Hey, Shippou, how many people know about youkai?"

"Very few," Kagura answered, earning her a glare from the fox. "A select group of government officials along with a couple of the mates of youkai. Not even all of them know. It's rare for a human to know of our existence."

"Why did you tell Professor Kouro then, Shippou?" Kagome asked, brow furrowed.

After a few moments of blinking, Shippou laughed heartily. "Oh, Shin? I've known him since he was a teenager."

"But why chose to reveal yourself to him?'

Shippou smirked. "Well, for one thing, he was already sure of our existence anyway. I guess, though, that could come from another life…"

A quirked eyebrow from Kagome made him grin, but Kagura broke to the punch line instead of letting him drag it out. "He's the reincarnation of the monk. He doesn't know that, of course, but we can tell. When he was younger he was the spitting image of him, and just as much of a perv."

Kagome blinked rapidly before a slow smile dawned over her face. "I knew there was a reason I liked him so much."

Shippou, still pouting from having his fun taken away, nodded. "Yeah, even better is that he and Sango's reincarnation found each other again. It's rather sweet. They have their differences, of course, since their lives were nothing like their last ones, but the core of their personalities is the same. I still miss Miroku and Sango though."

"I do too," Kagome whispered, trying to swallow around the lump in her throat. "I wish more than anything that the well would let me back through… just one more time. I want to live my life out there, in the freedom and wilds. I used to think I couldn't live without a bathtub and all my little 'conveniences'… but I know better now. I wish so badly to go back and be in that world again."

"Bah," Kagura huffed. "I rather like this era. So many things a woman can do! Now, let me tell you, a few centuries ago I pitied human women. Even just a few decades ago it was bad. This? This is nice."

Shippou rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up, as if it ever effected you. You've been playing a black widow for ages now."

"But it is so much fun to play with the innocent little human men…"

Kagome smiled wryly. "Consorting with us lowly humans now, Kagura?"

"Not like the pickings are any good with fine youkai men nowadays. They're either hardly out of adolescence or already mated." She sighed longingly, her eyes glassy. "To find a good man…"

Shippou took the other woman's distraction with a grin, leaning over the table to cup Kagome's ear. "She's been pining after Kouga for a hundred years now, but he is still being a stubborn jackass over everything from back then. Not to mention that the minute they get in the same room with each other they start screaming…"

"Fox, what are you telling her?" Kagura screeched, yanking the younger man by the back of his hair. "You better not have told her any of your fairy tales…"

"Oh, please! As if anyone in all of Japan _ doesn't_ know about your unrequited love for the annoying wolf!"

"Why, you little!"

"Uhh, guys?" Kagome interjected, waving her hands back and forth complacently. "You're gathering a bit of attention…"

Both youkai stopped and glanced around the room, patrons all around frozen in mid-meal to watch the scuffle between the restaurant's owner and the young man she sat with. Kagura stood tall and smoothed her hair, glaring in a very Sesshoumaru-like manner over her customers. "Yes?"

They all turned back to their own food and conversation, leaving a moping Shippou and annoyed Kagura with Kagome, who was very unsuccessfully smothering her giggles.

"What's so funny?" sulked Shippou, lower lips quivering in an all too adorable way.

"Nothing," Kagome said softly as she came into control, tipping her head with a soft smile. "I just missed this. I forgot what it was like to just talk with people, and not have to think about that I was going to say, make sure I wasn't going to mention and event or person they shouldn't know about… with you guys, I'm free. It feels good."

Kagura sighed and pulled out of her annoyed brooding. "We're glad to have you back too, miko. You touched a lot of lives in a short time."

Kagome blushed, but didn't say anything, thankful for the timely arrival of their food. As they ate, Kagome couldn't help but let her mind wander to how much better it could have been with an addition to the table… but that was for another time entirely.

* * *

"Kagome?" Shippou called softly as he pulled her through her door that night, exhausted but glowing happily.

"Yes?" she replied, trying to banish the encasing fog from her brain.

The fox lead her to the couch and sat down beside her, stroking the fingers of one of her hands, worrying his lip. "I want you to think about that tonic. I know you have your reasons… but please, just consider it? I couldn't bear to lose you again. I just can't." Kagome was shocked to see tears gathering in his eyes, his gaze never torn from the fingers he was toying with. "I've lost a lot in my life. I mean, I know others have too, but I got something I lost back. I waited nearly five hundred years to see you, and I don't want to lose you again just because Sesshoumaru-papa has terrible timing and a stick up his rear," he joked halfheartedly, finally raising his gaze.

"Shippou…" she trailed off, breaking the eye contact and looking out the window at Tokyo's skyline. "I can't promise you anything. I won't. But I will think about it. Will that be alright?"

"It's all I ask for," he said quietly, biting his lip. He rose to leave, but paused halfway to the door. "I love you, Kagome. I'll be here no matter what, okay? Mind coming to dinner this weekend at my place? The kids are anxious to meet their grandmother."

Kagome grinned at him and nodded. "Sounds great. Call me?"

"You bet."

With that, Shippou left her in the darkened room, gazing over the twinkling city lights. Could she take the potion that nearly guaranteed her a full chance at life with her love? It wasn't all insecurity about whether Sesshoumaru would still want her… there was so much more there. After all, she was no wimp, she could live on her own. Higurashi Kagome did not need a man to live. Sure, she would be terribly unhappy to lose the one thing that had given her life meaning for the last few years- she halted the painful train of thought before she could damage herself further.

She also wondered about extended life. Could she do it? Could she sit back and watch the world change, her friends and family die of old age while she remained young? It seemed so steep a price. At the same time, Sesshoumaru would likely be by her side if she decided on it. Not only him, but Kagura, Shippou, Kouga… and who knew how many other old friends had survived the years? Could she?

She shook her head and pulled herself to her feet, dragging herself to her room. Eyes heavy, she didn't bother changing as she fell into bed, eyes closing as soon as the pillow was beneath her head. So much was planned in the near future, and she couldn't bear to think what would happen if they were unsuccessful in relocating Sesshoumaru. She knew as well as the rest of them that if he did not want to be found, he surely would not be… but it didn't stop her from hoping. And dreaming.

Kagome ran her fingers gently across the heart pendant around her neck, tracing its lines with a consuming sadness in her heart. The jewel felt cold against her skin, even though it remained against her all the time. But she remembered how it would feel when it heated to alert her to Sesshoumaru's proximity, and clenched her eyes in wish.

The last thoughts on her mind as she drifted off to sleep were ones of love and hope, but laced through those thoughts was a quiet beseeching call. Now, it was only a question of whether or not her call was heard.


	43. Fragments

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

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* * *

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 43 - Fragments_

* * *

Kagome sat silently, watching her mother pace back and forth across the living room of her childhood home. It was rare for Kagome to stay longer than a few minutes at the shrine, but she knew she needed to finally clear the air between them. Though their relationship had been pieced back together after the blowout over the truth of her adventures, they had never really mended anything. And right now, Kagome needed advice only her mother could give her.

"Listen, Mom…" Kagome finally broke, shifting her gaze from her mother's pacing to the tatami flooring. "Don't you see that this is why I never told you? So you see how badly you're reacting to it?"

"How else could I react, Kagome?" her mother said harshly, her eyes burning as she stopped to face her daughter. "You brushed death countless times…"

"That was life in that era, mother. Surely you didn't think it was just some fairytale I was living? Disease and death were rife there, and I had it so much easier than most. I had vaccines and modern knowledge to stave off infection, as well as a half demon bodyguard in my travels. It's not as if I just skipped gaily off into the woods calling for the youkai to attack! No, not all of it was pleasant… but it was my life, and I wouldn't trade my adventures for anything."

"Some _protector_ you had! You actually died at one point!"

Kagome sat up ramrod straight, her eyes hardening along with the set of her jaw. "Don't you dare insult InuYasha's abilities in protecting me. He risked life and limb a hundred times to save me! And yes I died, but I was resurrected within minutes, and we gained so much from that battle."

"And he also ran off and left you in danger just as many times!"

"And now he's _dead_, mother, do you understand that? He is dead and gone, and I will not let you talk about him as if he were anything less than a hero."

The fire in her eyes and voice must have pulled at something in the older woman, for she collapsed on a couch and sighed heavily. "I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't take my anger out on him. But someday you will be a parent and you will know the fear and pain that gripped me to read those things you went through. You're my little girl, Kagome. You never should have been in those positions to begin with…"

"But I was. I made the problem, I fixed the problem. We faced the utmost evil and brought it down. I survived my ordeals; can you please put this behind us and get the metaphorical elephant off the coffee table?"

Her mother laughed shakily and nodded. "I know you have a reason for coming here and bringing this all back up again, Kagome. What has happened?"

"I found Shippou week before last. Err, well, we found each other, really. Because of him, I have been assured that my mate is alive and out there… just out of touch at the moment. He-he offered me… oh, Momma, he offered me immortality!"

Mrs. Higurashi's eyebrows shot up to her hairline and she gaped for a moment. "Well, that's certainly a welcoming gift, isn't it?"

"But… to live forever or at least near to it? To watch you, Sota, and Ayumi age and die as I remain the same? How can I accept that?"

The elder woman's face scrunched in thought and the living room stayed silent for several very long minutes before she tentatively spoke up again. "But, if your… mate… comes back, what then? Can you imagine aging and growing old as he and all your other youkai friends stay the same? What is more important to you, do you think?"

"How can I chose between them and you?" Kagome cried.

"You don't have to. You aren't being asked to forget about any of us and leave us forever, just to give yourself _more_ time with the rest of your 'family'. Is the decision really so hard?"

Kagome's eyes filled with tears. "But…"

"What is the real problem, Kagome?"

"Wh-what if he doesn't want me anymore? What if after so long he wants someone else? As long as I live he can never truly be with another, and I don't want to chain him to eternity with someone he doesn't want," she ended in a whisper.

"Oh, darling, I think you think too lowly of yourself, and I can't help but think InuYasha has a lot to do with that." She shushed Kagome before she could voice her protests. "No, don't deny it. He left a lot of room for insecurity in you. But let me tell you, you are a wonderful person, and Sesshoumaru would be a fool to pass you up. He doesn't seem like the type to just roll over anyway, from the stories." Here the elder paused, glaring over her daughter's shoulder in reminiscence. "So I think he would take it upon himself to rectify if he didn't want you, wouldn't he?"

Kagome sighed heavily, leaning her forehead against her mother's collarbone. "I-I guess you're right. But-"

"But what? You have a chance to do what humans only dream of doing, darling! How can you pass up such a chance? Give yourself the chance to be happy, my Kagome. Please?"

Blue eyes, still brimming with tears, shone with gratitude as she crushed her mother into a hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Of course, what else are mothers for, anyway?" Mrs. Higurashi winked and stood. "How about some lunch?"

"Just a bit; I'm going to Shippou's tonight for dinner and meeting the family."

"Well then, why don't you tell me about how you found one another?"

* * *

As Kagome pushed herself out of her borrowed car, she gulped uncertainly at the large manor house in front of her. Within those walls, who would she see? Would any of them even remember her after so long? She smoothed her skirt free of the invisible wrinkles she was sure adorned it, shakily taking a step before stopping again.

How could she face all these people? She was nothing compared to them, a child! They had experienced the last several hundred years of hardship whilst she simply leapt past them, skipping the rough time she knew they had experienced and popping up again when the going got easy. What right did she have to intrude on their lives?

Her heart ached as she looked across the lawn at the flickering windows; shadows frolicked across drawn drapes, a happy family all relishing in time together. Where did she fit in? She dared to call herself mother to a man who had lived so much more in his life than she could ever dream of? To actually claim the title of grandmother when she was barely in her twenties? What could she offer them?

Her shoulders slumped and she was about to turn back to her car when a low voice spoke from her right. "You came all this way to run away, Kagome-mama?"

She stiffened and glanced at Shippou from the corner of her eye. "I can't do this."

"I knew the bravest girl in the world when I was a tiny pup… she faced down grotesque youkai with a single arrow, she stood up to a hanyou whose demon blood had come to be too much for him, she crossed time and juggled lives and still came out on top. And now, that same brave girl is a woman who is afraid to have dinner with some of the friends she's lost?"

Kagome's hardened features crumbled, and she faced her son with all her grief and fear shining in her expressive eyes. "What am I, really, in comparison to all of you? I'm just a human girl who did some creative things with time. I am not the brave and strong woman you think I am, Shippou. I'm just Kagome. Hell, even when I was taking care of you you were several times my senior… and now? I'm a decimal point in time to all of you."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" an amused Shippou butted in, a smirk stretching his lips. "Kagome, pardon me this, but you're being an idiot. Since when has age meant anything? Think of InuYasha and Kouga back then. Both of them were several centuries old, and you were the only voice of reason between them. Think of Miroku and Sango, were they less than any of the rest of us simply because of the short years they had lived?

"Of course not!" Kagome defended hotly, then winced as she caught the point of her son's rant. The fox's smirk widened.

"Then how does the number of years affect anything? I know Kouga will never grow up, but that's just in his character. Age has little to do with worthiness, and for being a decimal point, you're a damn prominent one. Do you know how few of us would be alive it not for you?"

The woman's eyes slid closed and she breathed deeply as she allowed the handsome youkai to lead her up the gravel path, "See, Ma? Not so bad, is it? It's alright, Kagome. Those you know remember you, and those you don't are anxious to meet you. Well, most the people aren't even aware of your attendance tonight, but that's an entirely different matter."

Kagome finally broke down and smiled, her face aglow again as she observed the playful face of the man beside her. Once a trickster, always a trickster. "Are you going to tell me who's on the guest list?"

"Of course not!" he scoffed, grinning at the mock indignation on his companion's face. "You'll just have to see. Wouldn't be too fair if you weren't surprised too, would it? I doubt you'll have too many problems remembering people, most haven't aged much." He peered at her from the corner of his eye and he saw the familiar determined glint enter her eyes once more. "Speaking of, have you thought over my offer?"

She stopped, facing the redhead with a deep breath and met his eyes. "I… yes. Yes, Shippou."

This had obviously not been the expected response, for the man gawked at her in a gobsmacked manner for several moments before grinning like a loon and swinging her in a circle. "You're sure, right? I mean, really sure? Oh, Kagome, you don't know how happy I am now! I mean, this is great! And you're sure?"

Kagome snickered. "You're babbling."

"Ah, so I was. But I am glad. Let's get inside, alright?"

With a grin the two walked arm in arm up the front stairs and through the impressive double doors, Kagome peering around at the beautiful entrance hall. "It's really gorgeous here, Shippou."

"Why thank you," he grinned. "Though it's mostly Rin's good taste that made this place beautiful. We bought it in the beginning of the nineteenth century. We had been in the western world for a while and she was really taken with a lot of their culture, so we had this place built." His eyes look a far-off glaze and a frown settled on his lips, making Kagome take his hand in hers and squeeze. Shippou broke his reverie and smiled. "Sorry about that, Kagome."

"It's fine."

Shippou gestured to their left at another smaller set of double doors. "Everyone's in there. Now, I must announce you properly!" he exclaimed, yanking on their joined hands and leading her off to the side, winking at the mock annoyed scowl he got in return. With a dramatic flourish, the fox spun on his heel and threw opened the doors with both hands, grinning as everyone in the room came to a standstill. Kagome could see the mischievous smirk on his face and wondered how many people in the room were right now fidgeting in nervousness.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began imperiously, the wicked tilt still on his lips. "I have brought you all here under false pretenses," he stated with grave and false contriteness.

"Get to the point Fox, or I'll tell them all for you," the unmistakable voice of Kagura snarked, making Kagome stifle a giggle.

With a glare, Shippou sighed and grinned at his audience again. "We have a special guest tonight. Many of you know her, and the rest have heard the stories. May I present to you all the Miko Kagome Higurashi, Lady of the Western Lands," he finished with a deep bow to her, making her turn bright pink as she stepped into the doorway and met with about two dozen stunned gazes.

Biting her lip, she smiled shyly at the group whom she hadn't had time to identify anyone from yet. "Hello everyone."

"Sister!" two voices cried, and she was almost instantly engulfed in a two way hug, blinking in shock.

When her brain caught up with her, she grinned happily at the two shaggy heads of two-toned hair and hugged them back. "Ginta! Hokkaku!"

"I didn't believe Kouga when he said you were from the future! Wow, its so good to see you again!" the one to her left cried, finally releasing her. The two had aged minutely, or perhaps it only seemed that way since they both now sported nearly normal hairstyles - coloring notwithstanding. The bad part was that she now could not tell them apart as easily. She was rather sure the one who had just spoken was Ginta, due to his brow line and the placement of the white streaks in his hair, but she really wasn't sure.

"I know!" the other, whom she thought must be Hakkaku cried, releasing her as well, grinning widely. "It was so farfetched… but you're really here! And how in the seven hells did you end up mated to Lord _Sesshoumaru?_"

Kagome smiled again. "I've missed you both as well. As for Sesshou…"

"Come everyone," Shippou interrupted in his imperious tone. "We have a dinner awaiting us in the dining room!" he seized his adopted mother's arm and led her away regally, nose pointing nearly skyward.

"You know Shippou," she said as she was led, "with your nose in the air like that, you've made me think of something."

"What's that? How debonair and handsome I have become?"

"No… I was thinking you need to pluck your nose hairs."

"Mooooooom!" he groaned, shoulders slumped as everyone around them laughed at the wail coming from the youkai. "That was just mean. I throw this nice party for you, and look what you did?"

"Do you want me to break out the photo album? I have pictures of you bathing, you know."

A bright red stole across the man's tanned cheeks and she was well aware which in the crowd were his progeny by now by the devilish smirks on their faces. "How much do I have to pay you to make you keep those collecting dust?"

"You could never pay me enough, my sweet. You were the cutest child… so very brave, even when covered in chocolate… unless InuYasha was threatening you."

The still-blushing man picked up the pace and called out triumphantly, "We're here! Let's eat!" Kagome stopped him as everyone took their seats and kissed his cheek fondly. "I hope you don't mind me teasing. It's helping me to relax more than anything else to reminisce."

"It's fine Kagome, I can take what I dish out."

"Oh my, can I expect embarrassing stories about me now?" she called to him as she strolled to her seat.

"You mean like the time you and Sango were running naked through the forest because you thought there were _bees_ after you? Then when InuYasha and Miroku came to see why you were shrieking you two practically killed them both? _Women," _he scoffed, grinning at the chuckles he received and the fake glare from Kagome.

Signaling to his children, Shippou ducked into the kitchens, apparently to retrieve the food and his offspring followed. Kagome finally looked around, meeting many curious and even awed gazes on her, forcing a blush to her cheeks. The strongest gaze on her were a pair of highly familiar pale green eyes, and her eyes lit up at the man across the table from her. "Setsu!"

Gyakusetsu smiled widely, his fangs showing. "You remember me then, do you?"

"Well, of course. You're aware it's hardly been three years since our last meeting for me? Even if it had been a millennium though, you made quite the impression."

The tiger grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his shorter, though still waist-length, hair. "I had to assume, since you look much the same. My memories of that far back are foggy at best."

"I am surprised you recognize me at all then!"

He smiled. "How could I not? You were the single most fascinating human I ever met, not to mention that I never had a run in with any other miko on even neutral terms, let alone as friendly as my encounters with you. Best Decennial Banquet there ever was… what with Gojou leaving literally red faced."

Kagome beamed and inclined her head as a girl to his right called his attention, her eyes sweeping around the table. Most everyone was talking amongst themselves now, and she saw a few vaguely familiar faces and one that stood out. "Oh! Shiori!" she said almost to herself, making the woman in question look up and smile. She had matured into a beautiful woman, her pale hair cut in a fashionable bob and her outstanding eyes shining. She had laugh lines creasing her eyes and was the oldest appearing in the group, looking in her mid forties. Kagome thought her hanyou blood likely to be the reason for this, but she had aged beautifully nonetheless.

"It is good to see you, Kagome. I confess to being a bit confused as to your presence here though…"

A young woman to her left with teal hair and wide brown eyes cocked her head. "Yeah, me too! When I met you it was like, forever ago, and you look just the same. You sure you're human?"

It took Kagome a minute, but she quickly placed the woman as the lime-haired Rei who believed miko to be some kind of youkai eating monster. She smiled widely at the now grown woman. "Well, it's quite a story…"

Shippou bounced back in then, eight people following him all laden with platters of food. "And all can be told later. For now, food's up!"

"Finally!" a voice from the other end of the table cried, drawing Kagome's eyes to a black haired woman who smirked at Shippou. "Took you damned long enough."

Shippou pouted. "Souten, you're so mean to me."

Kagome blinked in surprise and laughed at her son's antics, surprised that he had stayed in contact with the successor of the Thunder clan. Never having really known her, Kagome merely smiled at the grinning youkai who was goading Shippou.

"Now for introductions!" Shippou called a few minutes later after the food was served, and proceeded to name off the five attending of his seven children (the others apparently lived too far away to come in on such short notice, but promised to visit soon) and twelve various descendants of his. All greeted her shyly, and she noticed most of the awe previously directed at her came from them. She wondered what all Shippou had told them about her.

"We need all of your help," Shippou stated. "We need word spread in the youkai community of Kagome's return. Word _needs_ to reach Sesshoumaru, for obvious reasons."

Nods followed this announcement, and Kagome smiled gratefully. Kagura perked up from where she had been chatting idly with Ginta and Hakkaku. "When are you taking her to Iwaku, Fox?"

"Next week, and I know you're tagging along. No one tell Kouga! Hear me!" Kagome giggled and he glared at her. "I want it to be a surprise! It will be _hilarious _to see the look on that wolf's face when Kagome comes strolling in."

The others who were aware or had heard stories of the wolf's obsession laughed at the thought, whilst still others were confused slightly. Kagome gave up on putting it off and began her story for those yet unaware of her journeys. The group stayed late into the night, reminiscing of a time with clean air and untouched forest, which Kagome wistfully recalled for the few not old enough to remember. After all, it had been the shortest time for her since last seeing the sights most remembered.

When Kagome finally settled into the guest room in Shippou's home that night, a smile was stretched across her face. This was what she had been missing. Home, family, acceptance, and utter honesty. There was no reason to hide herself from these people, because they had been through all the same things she had. They had lived in a time where good fought evil and honor was tested. There was no longer a single doubt in her mind as to the best course as the fragments came together, for the path was in front of her, stretching out as far as the eye could see.


	44. Yashu

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha. Chapter title means rural beauty.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 44 - Yashu_

* * *

Kagome smiled at her newly-decorated living room, plopping back into her sofa. Since everyone who visited her now knew of her past, she had finally got around to hanging the various enlarged photos around her apartment that she had had done. Above the sofa were the four largest - the three she had brought back from Mattaki's time and the group photo from the Feudal Era which she had paid good money to have enlarged to a portrait size. On all the other walls were various eight by ten photos and snippets of her adventures.

Her body was still stiff from the ordeal of taking the life-lengthening tonic; the pain had been immense. It had felt like she was on fire inside out as her body and organs strengthened to endure several long lifetimes. In the end, she had passed out from the pain, only to awaken stiff and sore but otherwise alright. She only hoped it had worked.

Now she was only waiting for the next morning when Shippou would take her via private plane to Iwaku Isle. This made her happy, and she hoped this to be the last outing she would need to take for the sake of getting word out about her return. She knew now that she could wait another forty years without aging, but she really didn't want to. The sooner the better.

A knock on the door startled her out of the trance she had put herself in and she glanced at the clock in confusion before going to the door. She certainly wasn't expecting anyone at this hour. Pulling it open, she blinked at the grinning dual grinning dark heads in front of her before laughing and waving them inside. Once the door was closed the dark hair became almost identical auburn, though the one she knew to be younger had much finer features. He had taken after his mother in everything but his hair.

"What brings you two here?" she asked with a wide smile, making Shippou grin in return. His son's (she thought he was Chame, the oldest) smile was not as wide but was just as genuine.

"Ah Kagome, you know I can't leave you alone for very long. Was the tonic very bad?" he said uneasily, biting his lip.

"It hurt like hell," she deadpanned, smirking at his repentant expression. "Could you not have told me that?"

"Well, I was afraid…"

"That I wouldn't take it if I knew?"

"Yes."

Kagome smiled and led the two into the living room, giving them both a few minutes to wander amongst the framed pictures. Shippou stopped in front of one and Kagome heard the soft, sad laughter from him. She walked to him and put her head on his shoulder, smiling sadly up at the picture. It had been the day after her first and final kiss with InuYasha, the first day she had completely set him free. It had rained that day, but Sesshoumaru and Rin had arrived anyway on the first of many visits. The picture was her, Rin, and Shippou in the pouring rain. They were mud splattered and Kagome watched on fondly, a smile lighting her dripping face as the children were nearly doubled over in laughter.

"I remember what you had told me that morning, you know," Shippou said softly, reaching out a clawed finger to trace over Rin's nine year old features. "You said, 'You know Shippou… sometimes, I don't think life is about waiting for storms to pass, but learning to dance in the rain.' I took it literally and agreed, bounding out into the downpour. I don't think I understood the real meaning for many years. But you were right, you know."

Kagome smiled over at her son, his own son still engrossed in looking over the photos of his father's childhood on the walls. "I know. In these last three years, every time it's gotten hard I've remembered that day. To see the words taken so literally had really… made a difference to me, I guess. I've always made a point of taking walks in the rain, now. It helps to ground me."

"Is that Mother?" a deep voice spoke up from behind them, making Shippou turn and smile at his eldest son.

"Yes."

"She was so… small…"

"We all were at one point."

Kagome smiled, wavering only a bit. "You most of all."

Chame smirked deviantly at his father and turned to Kagome. "I'm not really sure how to address you, Kagome. Though I grew up knowing you as my grandmother, it was my daughter who married into the Higurashi line."

"Just Kagome is fine, Chame. Family is family," she said. Her mind was still trying to reconcile that the little boy she had taken care of had ended up being her ancestor.

The brown-eyed hanyou grinned, flashing a small set of fangs. She went to the kitchen to make tea and the three sat around her small table sipping.

"Kagome, I should tell you about Kouga before we go to see him. I wasn't the only one to lose someone in the time you were away."

Kagome gulped and set down her teacup. "What happened?"

"Well, not long after you left he mated Ayame like we all knew he would. They got on well enough for the first fifty years… but it ended up being a match made in hell. They couldn't agree on anything, especially the raising of their pups. I'm surprised they never killed one another.

"As time went on things only got worse, and eventually it came to the point where they couldn't live together anymore. They were still mated, and as such could be with with no one but one another, but they didn't see each other much, and usually only then for Kouga to impregnate her… again…"

"How many children did he end up with?" Kagome asked with a raised eyebrow.

Chame smiled sadly. "In all? Forty three. Only eleven are alive today."

Kagome had almost choked on the overall sum, but quickly sobered at the second half of the revelation. "What happened?"

"Sesshoumaru put word out to everyone who knew you or whom he could order around - by this point he had become something like the mostly undisputed Lord to all youkai - in the very beginning of the twentieth century of the bombing sites. He made sure all youkai were relocated out of those cities and knew to stay the hell away when the war was to finally come to pass.

"Ayame never really got over her complex about you, I guess. Kouga tried and tried to convince her to leave Hiroshima, where she'd taken up residence, but she wouldn't. She refused to believe his 'silly babbling' about you being from the future. She wouldn't leave, and since the children had never been close to their father, most stayed with her. Even youkai die from an atomic bomb."

Kagome bit her lip and stirred her tea. "I… it makes me sad that she could not be objective and heed the advice given, but I am glad lives were spared because I gave Sesshou that book."

"Yes, many were. The youkai population would have taken a hard hit if not for that."

She smiled now. "So, don't bring up Ayame to him then, obviously. Anything else I should know?"

"Though he's calmed down, I have a feeling seeing you again is going to make him into the same exact pain in the ass he was all those years ago. Thank god you have Sesshoumaru-papa's mark or he'd never shut up. It won't stop him from being an idiot, of course, but at least he'll know better."

"Shippou, who all knows about me?"

"You being Lady of the West or you being from the future?"

"Both."

"Well… very few people know of your origins in any time period; only those you told and any they felt the need to tell. All my children and most of my grandchildren and some even farther down the line know, Kouga's pack all heard of it but weren't sure what to believe, and most all youkai are aware that Sesshoumaru's Lady was from some far-off time, though the connection to you was never made, I don't think. How? I don't know. It might have been because you were both human and a miko that threw them, and that most people who would put you down as being his mate were from nearly a millenia ago, and those who equate you with being a miko from the future from less than half that.

"For instance, I am rather sure that 'Kagome' who became betrothed to the Western Prince and fought the Northern Lord during Lord Mattaki's reign was never put together with 'Kagome' who traveled with the hanyou InuYasha and defeated Naraku. Lady Raku put it together, but she never told Kouga, I know that. She's interested in his reaction."

"Raku is still alive?"

"Yes, she even saw you once when you visited Kouga's den, but she stayed away since she knew you were still not to the right point in time to have met her yet."

"I think her and Mattaki shared a sense of humor."

"Hey! Not telling people is fun for the shock value!"

"Says you," Kagome harrumphed and smiled askance at the two grinning foxes.

"Yes, says I!" Shippou crowed, puffing up and preening.

"Alright now, out, both of you. I have sleep to get and I'm bringing Ayumi with me tomorrow, you know."

Shippou blinked and inclined his head. "As you wish, my lady. Normally it's a no-no even for human mates, but seeing as your mate is the owner of the island and the most powerful youkai alive… I can't say anyone will dare complain. Once they realize who you are, at least."

"Like I told Ayumi, even if I'm given trouble, I will just have to make sure they remember exactly how much purity burns hurt."

The two left a few minutes later and Kagome changed for bed. The next day would be interesting.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Ayumi groaned, her head between her knees. Apparently the small aircraft they were flying on wasn't agreeing with her, making her rather unpleasant company.

Shippou grinned at her out of the corner of his eye. "Actually, we are beginning the descent now. Just a few more minutes and you'll be alright."

Kagome looked out the window at the island they were circling in a downward spiral with a smile. She could feel the obscuring barrier over it, making it seen like a natural and untouched island from the air. She felt the buzzing wash over her minutes later and steeled herself against the objecting tingles; she was human entering a place where humans were rarely allowed. She saw Ayumi shudder in her sickly position and looked out the window once more.

The island was still mostly natural, but she could see the beautiful village they were landing on the outskirts of. She guessed most youkai made their homes within the sprawling forest, by the population she knew was there, but the old fashioned village was still probably twice the size that Futaridori had ever been. There were differences like the power lines, satellites on the roofs of the 'huts', and real doors and windows on the huts, but it seemed they tried to leave everything as natural as possible. She adored it already.

The open air was a relief and Kagome breathed in deeply and smoothed her forest green halter-top, smiling at a recovering Ayumi and grinning Shippou, Chame, Gishou (Shippou's youngest daughter), and a smirking Kagura. Their odd band of people was already drawing wary looks, but it seemed being in the company of both Sesshoumaru's advisor and adopted pup made people look the other way: humans in the party or not. Some of the gazes were hostile and those secreting a menacing aura made Kagome want to flare her own power in return, but she didn't dare.

There were few people near the landing strip, but of the handful of people milling about only two seemed to catch her scent and know what it meant. Those two had immediately bowed at the waist and snuck glances in awe at the woman smiling to them kindly. The others around them were broadcasting confusion and Kagome wondered how long it would take for word to spread.

As they reached the path to town, Shippou cut off his long winded ramble about the history of Iwaku and its inhabitants, winking and telling them be was going on ahead to collect Kouga. Gishou followed after him meekly, smiling just slightly at her overeager father. He had hardly been out of sight a minute before trouble found them.

The only warning she got was her pendant turning ice cold against her skin, making her pause in her steps. Had she not, one of the others might have been injured, but the attack was headed for her. A burst of fire shot for her before she could move, but disappeared a foot away from her into a shimmering invisible barrier. Her fingers went up to the icy crescent moon at her throat and sighed in relief. The protection charms were strong on it.

"What in the hell is going on?" Kagura ground out irritably from just ahead of her, glaring out into the forest. "Show yourself, bird!"

When the figure emerged, Kagome merely raised an eyebrow at the death glare she was receiving. She didn't flinch at Sesshoumaru's, so why would she back down from this? He was young, though she wasn't sure how eagle youkai aged, but he couldn't be more than two hundred. He wasn't yet matured and his golden hair only went to his shoulder blades. The eagle sneered haughtily. "What is this trash soiling Iwaku? Not one human, but two? Humans are not welcome here, and youkai who dare to bring humans should be executed. We come here to get away from the scum that fills this earth."

Kagome held up a hand to stop Kagura's retort, making the kaze witch sulk. The miko walked up to the sneering youkai with a cold smile. "How old are you, boy?"

It was gratifying the way he sputtered, but she knew he would answer. "I'm one hundred nineteen years old," he said with a scowl. "What are you, human, ten?"

Kagome paused and laughed. "As much as I love the idea of this island, I think it makes some youkai stupid. You know nothing about human aging, do you? I am, in fact, twenty three, but I assure you I have seen and done more in my two decades than you will do in your entire existence." She traced a finger up his arm, letting just enough power into her finger to singe the hair off, making the now quivering youkai balk.

"Since you're young, you don't have to die for attacking me." She glared at Kagura when she started to protest. "And since you are avian, I know your sense of smell is even worse than my own. However, you should know that things are not always as they seem, and you would do well to remember that."

"Who in the hell are you?" he choked out, still cowering slightly from the power she was allowing to snap around her. He had likely never met a miko, being so young and confined to the island, and only knew the stories heard from the elder youkai.

Kagome smiled not unkindly and let her power drop back to dormancy, inclining her head. "My name is Kagome. If that doesn't ring any bells, perhaps this should," she said and turned from him, lifting her long waves from her shoulder to expose the base of her neck which was adorned with a small but obvious silvery blue crescent moon. It had taken her three weeks to notice it there, just below the slightly raised scar of Sesshoumaru's mark. She didn't usually look at her back in the mirror, and it was actually Ayumi asking her when she had gotten a tattoo that had brought it to her attention.

With a smirk over her shoulder at the now gobsmacked youkai she grabbed an amused Chame and sulking Kagura's arms, pulling them along down the path. They weren't even out of sight by the time Kouga and Shippou came running. "What the hell was the power flare for, Kagome? You have youkai panicking in the city!"

Kouga's grin only widened and he ran straight into her, sweeping her into his arms and spinning her in circles. "My Kagome! What a sight for sore eyes!"

"You ruined the surprise before I could lure Kouga away," Shippou pouted. "He recognized your power."

"I'm sorry Shippou," she said with a giggle, hugging Kouga back before disentangling herself from him. "But I had to put a young idiot in his place."

"He really should die for attacking you," Kagura growled. "And I would have had fun doing it!"

"He attacked you?" Kouga growled, looking back at the still frozen eagle twenty yards back down the road.

"Kouga, it's okay, I put him in his place. I am human after all, and he's young enough to not know any better. Besides, birds have no sense of smell, really, so even if he had ever _met_ Sesshoumaru he couldn't possibly know I was his mate-"

"Your _what?"_

_"Kagome!"_ Shippou wailed. "You ruined that one too!"

Kagome paused and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that."

"But… what… how?" Kouga choked out, his expression absolutely comical. It took Shippou barely moments to see this and start giggling.

"Okay Momma, I forgive you because _this_ is better than I thought."

Kagome pet the flustered Kouga's head. "Let's go into town and sit, then I'll tell you the story, okay?"

He simply nodded dumbly and the group continued their trek, drawing stares from everyone they passed. It had been over a century since Rin had passed and therefore a human had set foot on the Isle, and now there were two walking with some of the most influential and powerful youkai in Japan. Ayumi was still slightly in shock from having seen her friend attacked, and stared in silent awe around at all the different youkai that stopped in their tracks to study the odd group.


	45. Rewrite

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Chapter 45 - Rewrite_

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They reached the center of the town in quick fashion and all sat at a round table that sat outside of what was likely Kouga's home under a wide canvas awning. The youkai milling around the town's square tried to look disinterested but failed miserably, and a crowd was forming. Kagome blushed quite red and silently turned to Shippou for help, who was smirking and puffing up under all the attention they were receiving.

After silently communicating her exasperation he sighed and stood. "Since I'm sure we won't get any peace until I explain, I will, and then you will all go about your days, got it?"

People nodded, the muttering dying out and harsh looks turning to the foc that was standing hands on hips and smiling in an unsettling way at them.

"The woman beside me," here he motioned to the still red-faced Kagome, "is the mate of Sesshoumaru, your Lord. You will show her respect and if there are any of you thinking you will test her, think back to the tales of the defeat of Naraku and know she is the one who assisted the hanyou InuYasha in his defeat. Stay away from her and her companion, got it?"

Kagome blinked at her son, quite surprised by his threatening tone and commanding presence that sent the gawking people scattering. The timid little fox she had known was all but lost in the powerful man, and she only just realized it. He turned and his smile was a bit self-effacing. "I was a general to Sesshoumaru for two centuries, I'm used to it."

"I just seem to get a new shock daily when it comes to you, dear," she said with a smile, and turned to the now composed Kouga who was watching her intently.

"Kagome, care to start the explaining now?"

She smiled, pulling a smile in return and nodded. "Of course. Is your mother here by any chance?"

He nodded hesitantly and yelled into the house rudely, making Kagome roll her eyes. Some things never changed.

The golden brown haired former Lady of the East walked out the door moments later, looking hardly aged from the last time Kagome had seen her a millennium ago, though much smaller around the middle than she had been for obvious reasons. She grinned and ran to Kagome, hugging her fiercely. "Kagome, it's been so long! It's good to see you again!"

"You as well, Raku! You look wonderful!"

"Ah, you only say that because I was round the last time you saw me."

Kagome giggled. "No, the last time I saw you was the day after you were round," she said with a grin. "But the evening got… a little out of hand and Kaori and Sesshou wouldn't let me out of my room until the rest of you had left."

A sad smile flitted across the older woman's face. "Dear Kaori. I miss her like it was yesterday."

Kagome's eyes brimmed with tears. "For me it practically was. I miss all of them terribly."

A clearing of a throat pulled her attention back to Kouga, who was watching them with interest and barely concealed irritation. "Kags? Care to explain?"

The miko giggled at the consternation on his face and decided to let him in on the 'conspiracy'. "Kouga, did you know you were an adorable baby? I was the first one to touch you, you know."

At his incredulous look she gave a quick synopsis of what had happened after she had seen him last in the forest of the Sengoku Jidai, giving him the titles of her book series if he wanted the full long story of it all. He shook his head with a wry smile. "I see everyone was against me, huh?"

Shippou grinned. "Well, duh."

"Well, to celebrate the long lost Lady's return, what say you we have a party tonight?" Raku said cheerfully, and Kouga nodded, apparently deciding to just accept the truth as it was and smiled.

"Sounds like a plan, all right."

Raku ran off to send out word to all the villagers, dragging Shippou with her, and Kouga gave her a rakish grin. "So Kagome, this means you won't be my mate?"

She laughed jovially and smiled. "Sorry Kouga, spot's been taken."

He sighed in an overdramatic fashion and leaned his cheek on a hand. "Such a pity. Now, introduce me to your friend, hmm?" he said wolfishly, leering at a blushing Ayumi.

This brought a new round of laughter and a scowl from Kagura. The group talked for hours, recounting stories and telling jokes. When Shippou returned he sat next to his mother-figure and leaned against her side. "So, Kouga, when's the last time you heard from Lord Arrogance?"

He ignored Kagome's snort and raised a eyebrow at the wolf. Kouga thought for a few moments. "Probably seven or eight years ago he dropped by, making sure all was running smoothly. I expect him again in another year or two."

Kagome sighed in relief. "That's a much nicer number than forty."

"Yes, see Ma? I told you he'd keep in touch with Kouga here."

"I'm very glad… I didn't relish in the idea of waiting several decades more when I know we could be together now."

Kouga studied her intently and sniffed the air, his puzzled frown deepening. "You know… I put this off to the mating, but now I think about it, you smell… different."

Shippou nodded. "I gave her the potion."

Ocean blue eyes lit up. "Oh? That makes sense then."

"How did it change my scent?" Kagome asked, raising her eyebrows at the two youkai.

"All humans smell of death to some degree… of decay, you know? From the moment any being is born they are dying slowly, but humans are doing it at super speed. Hence, aging. Since the tonic strengthened your internal organs and made you nearly immortal like the rest of us, you no longer have the same scent of impending death now."

Ayumi blinked wide-eyed at her friend. "Kagome?"

Kagome smiled sadly. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. Shippou offered me a chance to extend my life and I took it. It was a difficult decision, but not as hard as I was making it out to be. My mother pointed it out to me and so I accepted."

Ayumi nodded, albeit sadly. "It was your decision, I can't say anything about it. You'll not leave though, will you?"

Kagome shook her head. "No. At least while my family and loved ones are alive I will make sure to stay near… but eventually I hope to convince Sesshou to move here. I'm in love with this place already."

Kouga smirked. "Of course you are, I'm here after all."

Everyone scoffed and Kouga tried to look offended, but his lips twitched and gave him away. Once again the group was laughing.

* * *

The night was dark but the town was alive, a large bonfire lit in the center square of the village and hundreds of the island's inhabitants had come out to celebrate the 'return' of the Lady of the West. Most were dubious at best, but any excuse for a celebration was a good one. People danced and performed; Shippou forced Kagome up several times to dance with him.

Ayumi was currently being introduced around by Kouga. He had insisted it was his duty to find her a youkai mate, because being Kagome's friend she deserved to be elevated away from those 'annoying human men'. Kagome knew her friend was far too soft spoken to be Kouga's type, and still held hope that he would pull his head out of his ass and realize he and Kagura were perfect for one another. The atmosphere of the night was lighthearted, but the guest of honor was anything but.

As the night had worn on, Kagome had slowly become more morose as she dwelled on her thoughts of the last few years. How could she complain over having to wait a few decades when Sesshoumaru had been practically waiting for the better part of a millennium? How could she hurt so much after three years when it was but the blink of an eye compared to the time he had waited? Thinking it would cheer her, Kouga had recounted some of the times he had caught Sesshoumaru just staring into nothing and thinking deeply, and it hurt her to imagine her love so alone for all those years.

The crescent necklace warmed curiously, and she smiled as she traced it. It was like it answered her downtrodden thoughts. She let her fingers trail up the chain as she stared into the dancing fire, her finger wrapping around the chain tugging on it as she was lost in melancholy. She wondered what he was doing at the moment, and if he ever thought about her as well. According to everyone, he did, and that thought was the only thing making her smile.

"Heavy thoughts, Kagome?"

"Yes," she said softly, looking up into the aqua eyes of Raku.

"Might I assume you are thinking of your prince? Well, I suppose he is a prince no more."

"I am. And he will always be my prince, though I knew him first and longer when he was older. But, if I close my eyes, I can still see him smiling as he did when he asked for my hand."

Raku smiled and cupped the young woman's face in both hands. "You will have him again soon, child. Your love story crosses a thousand years, surely a few more won't hurt. You must be strong, and try to live life in the present, no matter how far in the past you have been."

Kagome smiled at that. "I know better than to brood, I shouldn't be doing so. Thank you for reminding me, Raku. This is just one more storm to dance through. I just hope the next bout of sun will last."

Raku looked at her curiously but did not ask for clarification. Kagome stood and stretched her limbs, ready to find Shippou for another dance, when her necklace burnt hot against her skin and made her look down at it with wide eyes.

* * *

Sesshoumaru glared dispassionately down at the island he had purchased some years ago, only mildly curious as to why it was so active. Kouga was an odd sort and seemed to relish in throwing celebrations for any occasion, so it could have been anything to cause it this night. He hadn't planned to come here for several more years at least, but been entirely bored over the last month and decided now was as good of time as any to drop in and check on the running of his largest investment.

He had been living in the mountains of eastern Europe for the last several decades, known to local humans as a rich hermit. He spent much of his time in his natural form running through the wilds and relishing in once again being able to run on four paws. It had taken nearly four centuries for his arm and hand to regenerate completely, and even after those it had taken a lot of exercises with it to once again get used to having a second limb. He had really only had full mastery of his transformed state for a hundred years before the Tessaiga had taken his ability to enjoy it.

He sighed and shook himself free of reminiscences sure to come if he thought of InuYasha, because all thoughts of the annoying hanyou brought thoughts of Kagome, and that would make him hover above his island for another few hours in an annoying state of mind, and he had business to attend to.

He had changed a lot in the last four hundred and fifty years… or perhaps not so much changed as regressed. As the years had gone by and his masks of cool superiority became less needed, he had slowly allowed himself to emerge once more, sometimes even caught smiling or startled into laughing by those who knew him best. To the general population he had simply mellowed to nonchalance rather than active disdain, and to his awkward and strange family he had 'lightened up' as Shippou was fond of telling him.

He cloaked his aura and scent tightly, making sure not even the most powerful and alert of the youkai inhabiting Iwaku would detect his presence. He just needed to get into Kouga's hut without being noticed and he would be fine. Not that sneaking around was easy for him; his hair alone sent off warning signals aplenty. It was a pity he hadn't thought to bring along the enchanted necklace Shippou had made him that made his appearance more mundane. He hated the thing, it made him feel like he was in the wrong skin, but in these times it was necessary anywhere public but Iwaku.

Lowering himself into the deep shadows of the forest outside of the village proper he stalked along the outskirts of the town, only pausing when anyone came within his senses so that he could be unseen. It seemed strange of him to 'hiding' per se, but his plans for the night had not included being accosted by dozens of youkai wanting to relive their 'glory days'.

A couple was coming up on his position, so he leapt onto a branch silently, waiting for them to pass him by. By scent he could tell they weren't even of mating age yet, and the girl was utterly annoyed and disgusted with her companion. The teenaged man was obviously drunk and his escort was groaning as she tried to keep him upright. Sesshoumaru sneered and turned his nose away, disgusted at the idiocy of modern youth. He almost leapt over them to another tree when their conversation caught his attention.

"…I mean, a _human_? Yosoku has a human mate but _he_ can't bring her here! That's why he left! We're all here to get away from them and now they let one in… man…" the golden haired eagle youkai slurred.

The female sighed. "It's circumstances. If you were as powerful as our Lord and owned someplace, you could say who could and couldn't come and go too. He owns this place, of course his mate can come here!"

"But why would someone like Sesshoumaru take a human anyway? Sure, she was cute but what's so special about her? And why ain't he here with her if they're so great? You sure she ain't lying?"

"Of course she isn't, you idiot. Weren't you scared shitless of her earlier because she 'tried to purify' you?"

"She did!"

"Because you attacked her!"

"Well, how in the hell was I supposed to know? It wasn't till she moved her hair that I saw the damned mark…"

Sesshoumaru had heard enough, finally snapping out of the daze he had been in while listening. Kagome was here? His Kagome? He dropped down in front of the couple, making them jump in surprise and the drunk eagle fall flat on his face. Sesshoumaru sneered in disgust at the pitiful youkai and turned an icy glare at the cowering female. "You, what's this about?"

The girl had obviously recognized him for who he was and was trying to stammer out an answer, but the eagle on the ground hadn't looked much a him and was stone drunk on his spot on the forest floor. "There's humans on the island! Who cares if she's mated to fucking Sesshoumaru…"

Annoyed, Sesshoumaru kicked the bird in the head to knock him unconscious and turned back to the girl. "Is this true?"

"Ye-yes my lord."

He didn't realize he had smiled until he saw the shocked look on the girl's face and promptly blanked his gaze. "Very well. I would suggest keeping better company from now on."

He stomped past the two young youkai and dashed though the forest now, uncaring if he was seen or not. As he reached the village he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, landing on a house at the edge of the square and looking out over the celebrating crowd.

His eyes were drawn to her as they always had been, golden eyes snapping to the far side of the fire where she sat contemplatively staring at nothing and toying with her betrothal necklace. He suddenly couldn't breathe as he saw the object of so many of his thoughts over the last several centuries. He didn't know how she had come to be here, but at the moment he couldn't care less.

She was approached now by the golden haired and aqua eyed Lady Raku, Kouga's mother. Whatever she said to her made Kagome smile so sadly that he thought she might cry and tighten her grip on her pendant painfully. Raku took the girl's face and spoke again to her, and it was like a weight was taken from her as the young human smiled again, making Sesshoumaru's breath come back in a rush and a small smile flit across his own face. He had to go to her now, and leapt from his place onto the ground and released the mask on his aura and scent, making everyone stop what they were doing and stare at him, and Kagome's necklace activate.

* * *

She knew what the heat meant, but at the moment she had felt it, it was like her brain was on pause. She stared dumbly at the gem that laid innocuously against the top of her breasts, not even registering that the town's square had gone silent. It took her several long moments to finally look up, and when she did her heart stopped.

Standing across the fire, the crowd parted before him was her Sesshoumaru, his silver hair bound back at the nape of his neck and dressed in modern clothing. In a rather hysterical part of her mind, she was giggling insanely over how good he looked in the pinstriped pants and white button down shirt, but thoughts were slowly coming to order and before she knew it she was moving, fast, running towards the man who seemed as frozen as she was.

"Se-Sesshoumaru!" she called, laughing gaily and shaking her head to free her eyes of the tears that had sprung into her eyes as she looked at him. The smile on his face in response was slow, but widened as she finally reached him and leapt into his arms, her own arms winding around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. She sobbed as she felt both - _both_ - his arms wind around her and hug her fiercely, and she heard the deep chuckle that escaped him as she alternately laughed and cried against him.

She pulled away enough to look up at him, and he smiled softly down at her, wiping away tear tracks with his thumbs and stroking her hair away from her face. Her smile in response was shaky but filled with joy and she pulled him down into a hard kiss that poured out the last years worth of anxiety, love, and confusion. He returned it fervently, and all of them forgot there were several hundred youkai around them until Shippou cleared his throat.

"Mom? Mooooom? Aren't you a little too into that? Mom? Not the place for that, I think guys… whoa, hands, Sesshoumaru! Yo, Sesshoumaru-papa, you have an audience that you just smiled in front of, and you're going to give people heart attacks…"

That was enough to bring them to their senses and they broke apart gasping for air. Kagome glowed in happiness and turned to face her son who was smirking smugly behind her as Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "Well, welcome back to reality you two. Good t' see ya, 'shoumaru, I know Mom's glad to have you back. Now, how about we go let all these nice people have a good time, because their still gawking at that stupid grin on your face, man."

Sesshoumaru scowled dangerously at the fox but released his miko and took her hand in his to lead her away to the table she had spent the afternoon at. Slowly the crowd began to come back to life and conversation was sparked everywhere. Kagome still glowed happily and practically bounced in her seat as she watched her love glaring at her son, who looked wholly unconcerned as he examined his claws.

Kouga, Ayumi, and Raku joined them shortly, and Sesshoumaru nodded to each of them stoically. Ayumi looked shocked, staring at the silver haired man and her best friend at his left who couldn't stop touching his shoulder, arm, hand, or leg and smiling widely. The cold-looking man would look at her from the corner of his eye and his lips would twitch softly as he touched her back. He was beautiful; many of the men she had met that night had been, but he was like a god, an Adonis! Pictures had done him no justice at all.

Finally Kagome broke her silence, her fingers grazing the dark magenta markings on his cheek. "How did you know to come tonight, love?"

He turned to her and smiled softly, tucking a few strands of hair behind her hear with a clawed hand. "I didn't. I came to see Kouga and overheard talk of you being here. How is it that you are here? It has not yet been five hundred years."

"I came back three years ago," she said softly, sapphire eyes locked on golden ones. "I guess it wasn't five hundred between my time and the Feudal Era, I just assumed it was. When I went back farther, it was your age that let me know it had been five hundred years, but I had no such marker in my time."

He inclined his head and traced a claw along her cheekbone and across her lips, her eyes sliding closed as he memorized her features. Of course, Shippou interrupted again. "Okay guys, I know it's been a while, but we're still here."

Kagome jumped slightly, looking sheepish and Sesshoumaru looked at the fox from the corner of his eye. "I am well aware of where you are, pup, I doubt I could get rid of you if I tried. Gods know I've tried," he muttered, a few snickers coming from Raku and Kouga. "But perhaps we should all save this conversation for morning, because if you want me to talk in return, it is not going to happen until I get to catch up with my mate."

Shippou grinned and inclined his head. "That what they call it nowadays?"

He turned his head and held up one glowing claw. "Run, Fox."

Shippou, obviously having gotten this threat many times in his life, yelped and ran, barely being missed when Sesshoumaru let his whip out after him. Shippou promptly spun around and grabbed his tail, whining over a singed patch and petting it apologetically. Kagome giggled and leaned against her lover, his arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her to his side.

Lips brushed against her ear lightly. "Come with me to my home here, Ka-go-me," he annunciated softly while claws brushed softly against her outer thigh. "Your friend may stay with the wolf."

Kagome shivered and nodded absently, her eyes glazed and staring at her hands.

A short, silent conversation with Kouga later, Sesshoumaru was standing and pulling Kagome up with him. "We will retire for the night, all conversation can wait until the morning."

Several of the group smirked as Kagome gave a rather dazed smile and wave before following her mate off down a side street. He pulled her into his side quickly, wrapping his arm around her waist and forming his youki cloud to speed the short journey. Kagome looked up at him and her first action was to yank off the tie that held back his hair, making silver blow around them both and a pleased smile to appear on her face.

The house was on the northern outskirts of the town, large in comparison to many of the other homes but very modest for Sesshoumaru. Then again, as he had told Kagome all those years ago, he felt more alive, more at home in the wilds than within walls anyway, so it was no surprise.

Kagome didn't even get a look at anything beyond the front door before it was slammed behind her and she was crushed between it and the hard body of her inuyoukai. The kiss was nearly brutal, with clacking teeth and ruthless pressure. Soon it eased in pressure but built in intensity, tongues twining and low sounds escaping the backs of their throats.

Breaking the kiss, Sesshoumaru growled and seized her by her thighs, pushing her up the door and lifting her legs to his waist. His hands gripped her hips tightly as he lavished her neck in attention, brining forth rather embarrassing whimpers from her throat.

She could feel him hard against her and arched her back, only making her mate push her harder against the door and bite at her throat, almost hard enough to break the skin. This ripped a loud moan from the back of her throat, and suddenly there was no door at her back. Within mere seconds she was thrown from Sesshoumaru's grip and landed on a bed - when had they gotten to the bedroom? - and pinned there by a slightly feral Western Lord.

"Mine," he purred throatily, tracing a line down her jaw.

"Y-Yours," Kagome choked out, arching her body up. In a rather inane moment, just before losing herself in the sensations, she giddily realized she would have to change the ending to her last novel, after all.

It would not be until after dawn awoke them that they would see the telltale lack of crescent moon on Sesshoumaru's brow, nor would they see the smirking ghostly figure of a woman in ancient armor. The spirit hummed in approval and waved her hand gently. "A gift from the fates, child."

* * *

_Kiyoi stared into her sated mate's eyes, brushing back sweaty bangs and nuzzling his cheek. "I missed you so much. Gods I love you, Sesshou."_

_He laughed quietly, leaning back over her and his lips brushing against hers gently. "That damned name again."_

_"Oh, you love it," she said softly against his mouth, grabbing his lower lip and nibbling softly._

_"I never thought I'd say this, but yes, I do. If it means you're here, then I don't give a damn."_

_Falling asleep in one another's arms, the only thing to be thought was completion. Perfection. Destiny. Finally, a love story a millennium in the making had come together, leaving its players in happiness. But as Kiyoi drifted to sleep she smiled, knowing this ending was only the beginning._

_**Owari.**_

A/N: Due to a huge amount of questions pertaining to Kiyoi… Kiyoi is what Kagome named 'herself' in her book series. "In a rather inane moment, just before losing herself in the sensations, she giddily realized she would have to change the ending to her last novel, after all." It's meant to be the new version of the 'ending' that started the Chapter Tenrai. I blame myself for this, since there was such a huge space between updates.


	46. Epilogue

Disclaimer: No own InuYasha.

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* * *

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**His Past, Her Present, Their Future**

_Epilogue_

* * *

"And that was that," Kagome said with a smile to her two person audience, carefully uncrossing her legs. The story had been long and she was afraid her limbs might be asleep.

"Hey!" the smaller of the two shouted, placing chubby hands on her hips and attempting to look fierce. Being only seven years old and in pigtails didn't help the little girl's cause, though, "Nuh-uh, Gramma! There's lots more, cuz you didn't even have Uncle 'Sei yet!"

"Well, duh Reijin," her older counterpart said, rolling his golden-brown eyes. "Grandmother just stopped once the exciting stuff was over. Jeez, you're such a baby."

The brunette glared. "Shut up, Sai, you big jerk!" SWhe huffed at her preteen brother, balling her small fists.

Kagome laughed and patted both their light brown heads. "Now now, guys, calm down. Of course there's a lot in between the end of the story and now, but I don't think I have enough breath to tell another three hundred years of story! How about we go get some lunch, huh?"

The two smiled, Sai's considerably smaller due to him trying to pretend he didn't care. Kagome hid her grin; she remembered when her sons had been his age. It was all defiance and neutrality for at least another decade.

Reijin and Sai were the children of the younger of her two sons, Kouhai; she loved spending time with her grandchildren, even as she expected her third child. A fond smile played over her lips as she separated the two quarter-youkai, their human appearance only belied by the speed at which they were able to chase one another down, or the sight of Reijin picking up her older brother to toss him away from her.

Kouhai and her older son Tenrousei managed the new colony of Koden, which had been established a little over two hundred years prior. The humans had begun another World War not long after Kagome had left the human world, and youkai from all over the world had begun flocking to Iwaku for sanctuary. Unfortunately the island could only hold so many people. In the end, some of the more wealthy Kodaijin, or so the older and more powerful youkai were referred to as, had ended up purchasing a large southern island not far off Iwaku's shores to accommodate the youkai who sought refuge.

Iwaku had become more private, with only those approved by Sesshoumaru living there. Travel to and from both isles were monitored and secrecy was treasured above all else amongst the youkai who lived there; humans had a terrible habit of hating that which they did not understand. Many societies in the human world had been destroyed because of and since the Third War, but humans still vastly outnumbered youkai. With the advances in technology that seemed to come about every day, they would be wiped out before they could even fight back.

"Gramma! Sai pulled my hair!" Reijin screeched, breaking Kagome's reverie.

"Sai…" Kagome sighed in exasperation, "stop instigating your sister."

"But Grandmother!"

"What are you two doing to my Momma?" a voice interrupted, drawing three pairs of eyes to the kitchen door. Shippou grinned at the three and snatched a triangle of sandwich from Sai's plate, taking a seat.

"Shippou!" Kagome cried, delighted. It had been a few months since she had seen her adopted son; he had chosen to return to the human world after the war had ended. He had finally begun dating again, youkai and human girls alike, but refused to ever take a mate again after Rin. Though he had fun, he said she still held his heart, even after all the centuries without her. "What brings you here?"

"Ah, I was doing an errand for Sesshoumaru-papa, and I thought I should come to see my favorite girl. Jeez you're huge!"

Kagome laughed and patted her rounded stomach. "Only a few more weeks to go!"

"Girl or boy?"

"Girl."

Shippou smiled widely. "Little Rin, then?"

"Of course," Kagome said with a sad smile, "I remember my promise."

And she did. Despite the hundreds of years between then and her current position, she remembered everything so clearly. She remembered Rin's smiles, Sango's voice, her mother's scent. She remembered her bedroom at the shrine and the feel of InuYasha's haori. Despite the new people that had entered her life, the new experiences she had, her original adventures held a special place within her. Once every few years InuYasha still contacted her, sometimes with Sango and Miroku, sometimes with Mattaki and Kaori.

The first years after her reunion with Sesshoumaru had been difficult. Despite the fairytale-like relationship they had shared, the reality of their story spanning a thousand years had led to many problems. Trying to reconcile the picture of one another they held in their hearts with the actuality of there being hundreds of years to change in between meetings had been difficult, and several years were spent in near-constant arguments. There had been times that Kagome didn't think they would make it, that they had both changed too much to be compatible… but they had worked it out in the end.

Just as Kagome had always known he would be, Sesshoumaru was a wonderful father. Both the boys idolized their father and sought to emulate him even long past their younger years. Both had insisted on being trained by their powerful father, despite the lack of combat situations in modern times, and badgered him for years to divulge all of his adventures.

Years had gone by, and Kagome had lost her mother first. It had been so hard to watch her age and go grey, knowing that she would have to watch her mother pass on. That had happened twenty years after her reunion with Sesshoumaru. Sota had gone only a decade later, then Ayumi a few years after that. Kagome was still unsure how it happened, but the two had ended up married. They had several children who were aware of the existence of youkai, having met their cousins and uncle. But after the loss of Ayumi, Kagome had begun to distance herself from the human world, she and her family rarely visiting.

It had been a hundred years now since she had ventured out into Japan, and she wasn't sorry. The last time she had it had very nearly sickened her - the attitudes the humans had, treating everything as beneath them and forming pointless wars. Since the previous war, the world had been segregated by race and social status, leaving little interaction and only setting the stage for further wars. Kagome knew it was but a matter of time.

The afternoon went on easily enough, Shippou tormenting his niece and nephew while Kagome did the finishing touches on the nursery. She had had a bad habit of delivering early with her two boys, and she didn't want to leave it to the last minute this time. She laughed as Shippou held the bickering siblings apart at an arms length, sending big eyes over to her. "Ma, how do you _deal_ with these two? Holy crap, they're _hellions_!"

Kagome shook her head and winked. "Very carefully."

Shippou continued grousing as she prepared dinner to the point where she had to send him out, telling him to call Kouhai and find out how much longer he would be. He had left sulking, leaving Kagome alone to her musings.

_'The more things change the more they stay the same,_' she thought to herself as she nudged a cupboard closed with her hip, one hand continuously swishing the pan back and forth across the burner on the stove. She had retained the appliances of the twenty-first century even as more conveniences had been invented, used to what she had grown up with. She was glad for the foresight she had had in procuring several replacements for all of her favorite appliances.

The curry powder was on the top shelf and Kagome grunted as she tried to get close enough to the counter to reach it, annoyed at her round stomach. It bumped against the counter and prevented her from utilizing her full height to reach the spice. Just as she was ready to screech for Shippou, a body pressed into hers and a pale hand reach past her own, lowing the bottle to her hand. Kagome grinned and spun in the grip, immediately nuzzling Sesshoumaru's chest. "Welcome home, love."

The youkai gave her a small smile, leaning forward to catch her lips in a chaste kiss. "Miss me?"

"Yes. The bed was cold this week."

Sesshoumaru looked upwards in his own subtle way of rolling his eyes. "So you missed your space heater and not me?"

Kagome giggled and sighed contentedly, feeling the strong arms of her mate wrap around her shoulders, "You know that I missed you. Did both boys come home with you?"

The question was answered when the door burst open, Reijin and Sai tumbling into the room with Kouhai and Tenrousei following closely behind, Kouhai scowling at his children while Tenrousei just looked amused. Kagome pulled away from Sesshoumaru's arms and after shoving his hands onto the pan to make sure he would tend it, she ran to greet her sons. "Welcome home, boys."

Kouhai smiled, brushing back a bit of his short dark hair behind the hanyou puppy ears on his head. "Hello Mother."

Tenrousei, the much less reserved of the two grinned and began patting her stomach. "Hello little sister! You're sure taking your sweet time, aren't you?"

Kagome laughed and shooed the two towards the table. "Set up for dinner, boys. It's almost done and I don't trust Sesshoumaru with it for much longer."

Kouhai went immediately to do so, while Tenrousei tugged on his shoulder-length, silver ponytail. "Aww but Ma, I've got some presents for the brats that I'm aching to give them…"

"You'd better not have given them more pranks, Sei, because I swear if they use them in this house…"

The silver-haired hanyou laughed and waved his arms maniacally. "No, Ma, I promise! Honest!"

She didn't believe him for a moment. Shippou had had too much of a hand in raising him, as he had been around almost constantly in those years, and he had injected much of the personality he had gained from InuYasha into the hanyou from birth. Her heart still ached a bit when he smiled softly, as his resemblance to her long-dead friend was quite pronounced. They had named him after the Dog Star for that reason.

"It can wait until after dinner. Now either help Kou with the table or go fetch Shippou-chan. Dinner is…" she glanced over at Sesshoumaru who was glaring harshly at the pan as he moved it, "pretty much done. Now go!"

She laughed as she bumped Sesshoumaru away from the stove, giving him a thankful smile. "Sorry, love."

He sniffed. "I do not appreciate being left as cook, woman."

A dark eyebrow rose but Kagome only smiled and stretched up on her tiptoes, pecking him on the lips. "But you love me."

"I do," he said softly, returning the kiss.

Kagome felt a warmth permeate her very soul, reverberating through her heart and outward to fill the house. Her family surrounded her senses and she could never wish for anything more than all she already had.

Though problems would always arise, Kagome could ask for nothing more in her life than what she had.

* * *

Somewhere beyond any living being's sight or senses, a group of six people stood watch over the rather rowdy dinner. They all smiled in amusement at the interactions of the group, still surprised at the easy camaraderie they managed to share.

"Everything turned out well, didn't it love?" Kaori said with a smile, leaning back into his embrace.

"It really did," Mattaki answered, smiling down at the reflecting pool that showed their family. "And someday we'll all be together again and it will be even better."

Though InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, and Rin didn't speak in reply, they were all aware of the agreement. They all looked forward to the day they could be together once more, even if it meant the loss of their friends' lives, for even death couldn't keep them apart. Their bonds had already transcended time and space, why not life and death as well?

"I want Ramen," InuYasha spoke suddenly, slightly drooling as he eyed a bowl of homemade noodles on the table within the pool.

Mattaki sighed wistfully. "Me too."

"Oh, you damned pervert!" Sango screamed, knocking a grinning Miroku into the viewing pool and disrupting the image, causing the bickering to increase.

Rin covered a smile and rolled her eyes to Kaori over the tangled, arguing group, sure she and the former Lady of the West were the only sane ones.

And again, the more things changed the more things stayed the same.

* * *

**7/28/10** - My revision is complete. Thank you for reading.

This story is still flawed in its horrible cliches, soppy OOCness, and stilted flow, but as I finish rereading and revising 5 years later, even without any of the passion I once had for this pairing, I am content. For a first fic, I didn't do _too_ badly, and it serves as a reminder of how far I've come.

I thank you all for sharing this with me, very much.


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